The origin and spread of carnelian beads in Bronze Age China:A reassessment
Within the broader context of Sino-West communications in the Bronze Age Eurasia,carnelian beads in China have long been considered as imports from the West.Nevertheless,recent pro-gresses in geological science and experimental archaeology have generated new evidence,which enabled us to reassess the origin and spread of carnelian beads in China from a novel perspective.Although further analysis is still required,current evidence suggests that the productive tradition of carnelian beads in the Sino-Mongolian Gobi followed its own distinct developmental trajectory,showing no clear signs of western influence.This tradition likely entered the Central Plains as connections between the Central Plains and the northern steppe intensified during the Shang and Zhou periods.The emergence and circulation of car-nelian beads in Bronze Age China not only reflect the attitudes and political strategies of Central Plains dynasties towards the northern steppe populations,but also highlighted the long-standing trend of integra-tion between the Central Plains and frontier ethnic groups.
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