Making connections: reconstructing ancient trans-Saharan trade links through glass beads from 9th to 12th century al-Basra, Morocco.

Glass beads excavated from early Islamic levels (c. 9th to 12th century) at al-Basra, an administrative, commercial and agricultural center in northern Morocco, have been examined both morphologically and chemically with the goal of suggesting possible origins of the glass used to produce them (Robertshaw et al. 2009 1). Five main compositional glass types from al- Basra will be discussed; these include lead silica glass, finds of which have been relatively rare up to now in the Islamic world. Using the Robertshaw et al. data as a foundation, the al-Basra beads will be compared to glass bead assemblages from several contemporary sites, including Awdaghust (Tegdaoust)
and Koumbi Saleh in Mauritania and Gao and Essouk in Mali. The presence or absence of bead types at different sites will be used to suggest trade routes by which the beads travelled. In addition, evidence of glass working at these sites, particularly making beads from lead silica glass, will be discussed and evidence of trade links between these ancient centers, based on locally-worked beads, will be explored.