Horned-Eye Bead Found in Tomb in China

CHANGSHA, CHINA—Xinhua reports that an unusual, horned eye-shaped bead was recovered from a tomb in southern China dating to the Warring States Period (475–221 B.C.). “It is in blue and white and incomplete, with only seven horns remaining around a base bead,” said Xi Peishen of the Hunan Institute of Archaeology. “It looks like the compound eye of a dragonfly.” The bead measures about an inch in diameter, weighs about an ounce, and may have been used as a decoration on clothes or furniture. Similar beads have been found in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and India, and are thought to have been introduced to China through contact with West Asian civilizations during the Spring and Autumn period (779–476 B.C.). The tomb in which the bead was found is one of about 200 dating to the Warring States Period at the site. To read about another recent discovery in China, go to “Underground Party.”