Tiny travellers: study of West Asian beads from Merovingian burials in Dutch Limburg in relation to international exchange networks

Abstract

The focus of this article is the international exchange of beads during the early Medieval period, with an emphasis on the relationship between West Asia and the south-eastern Netherlands (Limburg). The bead assemblages of seven sites are examined to provide an insight into the actual numbers and percentages of West Asian beads in the research area. The origin of these beads is determined by their production technique and raw material, which can be traced to regions and sources in West Asia. The distribution patterns of the beads reflect the availability of West Asian beads, and thus the changes and continuity in exchange networks in which they circulated. The results of this study show a higher occurrence of West Asian beads before the seventh century, followed by a decline. This phenomenon

has already been attested in North-France and Belgium by C. Pion. The distribution patterns display a higher number of West Asian beads at the studied seven cemeteries near major rivers, especially in the vicinity of Maastricht. These

observations suggest a change in the exchange network around the end of the sixth century. At the end of the seventh century, the West Asian beads have disappeared from the Merovingian grave contexts in the Dutch Meuse Valley.