Rounded Celtic Yellow Double-Row Eye Bead

Phoenician and Punic glassworkers played an important role in the production and distribution of glass beads. These highly valued objects were traded throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Skilled glassworking techniques made it possible to create striking colours and intricate motifs, including eyes, faces, animals and geometric patterns.

Through trade and cultural exchange, glass beads reached Celtic communities across Europe. Beads in vivid shades of blue, green and yellow, decorated with eye motifs, spirals, faces and zigzags, may have served as ornaments, status symbols or protective amulets. Their precise place of manufacture is not always known, and some examples may have been imported from workshops in the Mediterranean region.

The 'Evil Eye' motif, believed to protect against malevolent gazes, has a history extending back more than 5.000 years. Eye beads were widespread in Mediterranean cultures and have also been found at Celtic sites across Europe. Their distribution reflects long-distance trade and the adoption of protective imagery across different cultural traditions.