Gemstone Bead Ornaments Excavated from Wulipai Eastern Han Tomb in Changsha and Indication for the Exchanges along the Ancient Maritime Silk Road

Bead ornaments as the typical handmade accessory have been popular since ancient times. they are the most numerous, divers, and long-lasting group of artifact among those artifacts excavated. Bead ornaments can also be considered as important physical remains of ancient trade and cultural exchange activities. Some gemstone bead ornaments (No.9891) excavated from Wulipai Eastern Han Tomb M9 in Changsha, Hunan Province, were analyzed in situ and non-destructively by using the portable Raman spectrometer. In this paper, the excavated bead ornaments made of beryl group gemstones such as aquamarine and goshenite, and macrocrystalline quartz group gemstones such as rock crystal and citrine, were successfully identified. The similar beads and ornament in turtle and conch shape, and collar beads made by aquamarine have been widely excavated from many sites including Hepu, Guangzhou in South China, Kra Isthmus and South Asia subcontinent. The authors tend to think that these gemstone bead ornaments were imported from South Asia or Southeast Asia via the ancient Maritime Silk Road. And this research proves that Changsha was an important inland center for trade and consumption within the ancient Maritime Silk Road trade networks.