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Abstract: A comparison between the compositions determined by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) from two different laboratories on 52 ancient beads recovered in Africa was undertaken. Single point and raster samplings by the laser ablation systems were used. Although similar results were obtained using the two approaches on most of the beads, raster sampling was found more sensitive to corrosion than single point sampling. The impact of corrosion on the results and on their interpretation is discussed. Depending on the types of glass, group attribution is variably affected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The occurrence of similar glass beads at archaeological sites in Africa and Asia bears witness to the trade relationship between the two continents. This paper reports elemental analysis results from a recent in-depth laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) study of a group of archaeological glass beads with a specific alumina-rich composition from East Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Based on the concentrations of the trace elements, two different subgroups were identified. One subgroup occurs at early periods (fourth centurybce to fifth centuryace) in South India and Sri Lanka. The second subgroup appears at later dates in Africa and was identified at different Kenyan sites dated from the ninth to the 19th centuryace, and at the contemporaneous site of Chaul in western India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]