Standardized analyses of glass trade beads from Mgungundlovu and Ondini, nineteenth century Zulu capitals

Renewed interest has been generated in studies of beads from southern African Iron Age sites. Statistical analyses of bead frequencies can now be undertaken, making use of a standardized, internationally recognized classification scheme. Large samples from two nineteenth-century Zulu capitals, Mgungundlovu and Ondini, have been examined according to this typology. Results of statistical analyses are presented to demonstrate variability in bead frequencies within and between sites. The results show that the recovery methods of four excavators have not introduced systematic biases in the consolidated Mgungundlovu bead collection. Assemblages from different parts of the site more closely resemble each other than any of them resemble the bead collection of Ondini. These findings clear the way for more detailed physical and chemical analyses of the beads, so as to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of different bead types