Glass Bead, Carronbridge

This glass bead was produced during the Iron Age, and was found during the excavation of Carronbridge Roman Fort, showing that there had been an earlier inhabitation of the site. This black polished opaque glass bead has some lighter inclusions, is spherical in form and has a small straight hole through the centre.   Jewellery in the Iron age   Bangles could have been worn around the wrists, but in some parts of northern Europe they were worn as anklets. They could be made out of bronze, but could also be carved out of soft stone such as shale or jet. Rings were also very uncommon, and might be worn on a finger or a toe.   Brooches were often very simple and little more than safety pins for holding clothes together. Glass beads were only made in a few places in Iron Age Britain. Most women would have only worn one or two glass beads, if any at all. These were often not worn around the neck, but as earrings or in the hair.