Featured Multilayer of history: a collection of old beads

A few years ago I bought this small showcase with some flint tools and some glass beads inside.


On one of the files was a label glued, written in French. I can decipher a few parts, but I cannot read it entirely, but I see the name "Holsbeeck". Holsbeek is a place in Belgium near Louvain. With some fantasy I also can read the date 27 June(?) 1879, what I think is the year these finds have been found. Can anyone read more of this label?


There was also another very worn label in the case.



I went to a specialist for old flint and he said I had a few tools, a hand axe and a sharpening stone. The flint tools were probably from the Neolithic age. He didn't know anything about the glass beads. So I hoped someone could tell me more about these beans. There are several colors, sizes and shapes in this small collection. Can anyone say a bit more about these beads. Are they medieval or older? Are these beads from the same period? So could these come from one necklace for example?



Sorted by type


The object in the bottom are two nuts, connected by a piece of rope.

Thank you for any information

 

Those could be really old trade beads.

 

What is really old for you?

 

17th century, 18th century. Older? Newer? They don't "smell" 20th century to me for whatever reason, but I'm not expert enough in them to be sure.

 

If I interpreted the label correctly they must be older than 1879 at least. My gut feeling they are from the period between 500-1000 AD, but that is just a guess. I know we find colored glass here from about 200 AD like this bracelet called La Tene glass.

 

"L'argile" is clay, so maybe mudlarking? The last seems to be "Given by" followed by a name and date.

 

If you get stuck there is a Bead Collectors helping Bead Collectors group on Facebook that seem to be very knowledgeable about ancient beads.

 

Thank you, maybe I’ll try a shot there. I am not sure yet if I will make a Facebook account for just a question though…

 

I can ask for you if you can get some close up photos? Difficult to see the ones at the back.

 

I believe the blue ring beads (wound glass annular) are 19th century trade beads. Often called Dutch donuts, they were popular in the trade to Africa. They are sometimes called Dogon beads, because the Dogon (Mali) in particular liked them. Peter Francis (Director of the Center for Bead Research) believes they were made in Germany, rather than the Netherlands, and the common name may be a confusion between Dutch and Deutsch. He also says the bright, clear cobalt color appeared in the late 19th century, earlier blue rings being slightly darker and duller in color.
(Peter Francis: Beads of the World.)

The big blue ones are also probably trade era, 17th-19th century, Dutch, or perhaps Venetian.

 

@kyratango , can you make something of the label?

@Ex Libris , this may interest you (and others):
https://www.rmo.nl/en/exhibitions/temporary-exhibitions/5000-years-of-beads/

Many beads were made in Germany, especially black beads from the Fichtel Mountain region (Fichtelgebirge). But I have information somewhere that these cobalt blue beads were made in Amsterdam. The Dutch also used them, btw.
I hope I can find it, if I can, I will post it here. My (re)search skills are close to zero at the moment.

I have some that were traded by the VOC to Eastern Indonesia, but that doesn't prove they were Dutch made.

Dutch.

 

Couldn't find my more in-depth info, but here is some other info:
https://www.thebeadchest.com/pages/dogon-beads-dutch-german
https://aboutafricanbeads.rexbeads.com/about-dutch-dogon-beads/

Interestingly they mention the 'bead gardens', a historic type of mainly blue beaded garden centerpiece from the province of North Holland, made with Dutch trade beads. It was a Dutch alternative to the 'gardens' made with shells in other parts of Europe.
The most famous bead gardens were in the Zaan region, near Amsterdam. The Zaan region was where colonial products were processed, spices, tea, coffee etc. It was also where wooden planks were sawn for the VOC ships (Dutch East India Company).

Most 17th century bead gardens were demolished, but below is an original one which was moved to an open air museum (Zuiderzeemuseum):

 

Nice! Why would anyone demolish that?

 

Because they're Dutch.
Until a few decades ago, the Dutch were always about 'out with the old, in with the new'. Countless ruins, which would have been preserved in for instance the UK, were pulled down because they were broken old junk.
I'm sure @Ex Libris has a few stories to tell too.

 

I read on the best label, « pierre à aiguiser ? trouvée à Holsbeech (???) sous 1m60 d’argile et de sable.
Donnée par le dr Loucin (?) le 27 ... 1875 avec la ... »
Translate as:
Sharpening stone ? found at Holsbeech (???) under 1.60 metres of clay and sand, given by doctor Loucin (?) on 27th (month illegible) 1875 with the...

 

(bangs head on desk) ARGGGGGH!!!!!!!!!!!! Meanwhile, preservationists here have been known to go hammer and tongs over buildings a mere century old.

 

I know!
We have lost so much history, total madness.

 

And that's without any excuse at all, i.e. some idiot with explosives trying to take over the world.

 

In the city where @Any Jewelry and I are living not much real history is left although it was founded in 1232 AD. Only a medievel church tower and some walls in a monestary are left. Some buildings were destroyed by German and English bombardements in WWII, but the most were demolished because of “modernization”. That is very sad. Because there is not much visible left, there isn’t much interest in the history before 1850 here.

 

Thank you for that . I believe the placename is Holsbeeck ( now spelled at Holsbeek) https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...m2!3m1!1s0x47c15d6bfbfcf547:0x40099ab2f4d5360