The necklace

The necklace consists of beads handmade from clay. They were used to adorn the neck in an unspecified period between the 9th and 12th centuries. The beads vary in size, the smallest measuring 0.5 cm and the largest up to 4 cm. They also have different shapes, some are spherical, others cylindrical, others elliptical and still others irregularly shaped. The surfaces are floury to the touch, indicating very poor firing. They were obtained during excavation work at the settlement of Strzelce Dolne in the Bydgoszcz district. Finds of clay beads as well as cherry seed beads show how ingenious Slavic women were. When they could not afford the beautiful necklaces offered by merchants, they contented themselves with local products. And they made them themselves from what was available locally.