Archaeological
Material
(part 4)
Stone Artifacts
One
preserved stone bead and a fragmented bead were discovered. The first,
found in 1999 in the northeastern corner of the stone platform, is
spherical, about 20 mm in diameter, ground and polished from
black-brown, slightly transparent, crystalline rock. Its thin (less than
1 mm) and straight suspension channel was perforated from both sides in
its central axis. A very small splinter is visible near one perforation
end.
The
second ground stone item is a bead fragment made from red transparent
crystalline rock. It was found in square N7, about 100 cm West of the
peripheral wall base. Its outer surface is also finely polished. The
fragment does not present remains of a perforation. The original
diameter is similar to the dark bead found in 1999.
Oral
informants said that such stone beads were produced in Bhutan until
recent times. The precise stone determination is not available and the
exact production center of such artifacts is yet to be determined.
