Etched (carnelian) beads from northeast and southeast Arabia

Etched beads from northeast and southeast Arabia are usually not cited in connection with east‐west trade, because they remain unknown to most scholars. There is ample evidence, however, from sites on the Arabian shores of the Persian Gulf that the region participated in active trade during several periods. Etched beads are one of the commodities testifying to the existence of maritime links. A high percentage of the etched beads found belong to the Early Bronze Age and the Pré‐islamique récent (PIR)‐period, although other periods are also represented.