Which of the following materials were used to make beads in Chanhudaro?

All of the above

Chanhudaro, a small settlement covering less than 7 hectares, has a distinct focus on craft production. Various crafts practiced in Chanhudaro include bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making, and weight-making.

The range of materials used for bead-making is remarkable, including stones like carnelian (known for its beautiful red color), jasper, crystal, quartz, and steatite, as well as metals like copper, bronze, and gold. Shell, faience, terracotta, and burnt clay were also used. Beads were often made by combining two or more stones, some of which had gold caps. They came in numerous shapes such as disc-shaped, cylindrical, spherical, barrel-shaped, and segmented. Some beads were decorated with incised or painted designs, while others had etched patterns.

Different techniques were employed to make beads based on the material used. Steatite, being a soft stone, was easily worked, and some beads were molded from a steatite powder paste, allowing for a variety of shapes. In contrast, harder stones were used for geometrical forms. The methods used to create micro beads from steatite remain a puzzle for archaeologists studying ancient technology.