Archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the meaning and consumption of glass beads in ancient Kilwa Kisiwani, southern Tanzania

Glass beads are among the celebrated archaeological finds along the Swahili coast in eastern Africa. These cultural materials have been used as evidence of mercantile trade between the Swahili coast and other communities globally. Glass beads are also chronological markers of archaeological sites and deposits at many Swahili sites. Although archaeologists recover glass beads from almost every excavation, only a few studies have reported on their meaning and consumption. Building on the increasing number of studies and the ongoing discussion of glass beads as ‘prestige goods’, this paper discusses the meaning and consumption of glass beads at the historic trading port town of Kilwa Kisiwani, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Tanzania. It combines the results of the physical attributes recorded in the analysis of glass beads stored in the National Museum of Tanzania, as well as those from recent excavations around historic water wells, with ethnographic insights from the inhabitants of Kilwa Kisiwani today. With these datasets, we examine the cultural meanings and routine practices that shaped consumption patterns of glass beads in Swahili cities. Against the prestige goods theory that regards glass beads as élite goods and a symbol of power, we argue that function and cultural logic determined beads access and consumption patterns.