Casgliadau Arlein

This fragment of a pale blue bead which would have originally been spherical in shape. The outer surface is decorated with prominent grooves, the interior of the bead is also coloured blue.

It was found in the grave fill of SK193.

Unusually, the bead has two holes drilled perpendicularly to each other. One is quite large and wide and runs all across the object, indicating it's original. The other is a small hole drilled perpendicularly into the other. Either it was originally designed with two holes or the smaller hole was drilled later, possibly after the bead had been broken apart.

Beads of this kind were common in the 1st and 2nd centuries, particularly on military sites. They were continued but less common into the 3rd and 4th centuries in both cilvilian and military contexts.