The exhibition of the Tanais Archaeological Museum-Reserve features a string of 12 beads, some of which are so-called eye beads. The white circles with black pupils against a dark blue background resemble small eyes.

The string of beads was found near the left wrist of a woman in a burial at the Tanais necropolis in 2002. Based on its location, it was either a bracelet or part of the embroidery on the woman’s clothing. People believed in an afterlife and equipped the deceased with honors. The beads were likely a necessary part of the funerary ritual. It can be assumed that the combination of multiple protective symbols (the décor of the beads) made the amulet even more powerful in the eyes of Tanais inhabitants.

The string features a variety of beads with various shapes and textures, made of various materials. For example, the first bead is made of jet, a semi-precious black stone, with a rounded shape and a ribbed texture. The second bead has a biconical shape with smooth edges and is made of translucent turquoise glass. The third and fourth beads have a similar rounded shape, are made of opaque black glass, and are distinguished by a white stripe running across the center. The fifth bead is made of opaque white glass and has a ribbed surface. The sixth bead is made of opaque dark blue glass. It features eyes of white, yellow, and light blue colors. The seventh bead is rounded, made of pale-yellow glass. It features three blue eyes with white circles and a dark blue dot in the center. The eighth bead is rounded, dark blue. It has three white eyes with a dark blue dot in the center. The ninth, tenth, and eleventh beads are barrel-shaped, made of thin strands of blue, yellow, burgundy, and dark blue glass, as well as translucent pale blue glass and opaque blue glass.

Almost everyone has seen small dark blue beads with “eyes”. Many people wear such jewelry to protect themselves from the evil eye. Researchers associate the appearance of eye-shaped ornaments on beads, in the form of a dot and a circle, with the attitude that the people of the past had towards eye contact. Some creatures, including humans, were believed to have a cursed or evil eye that could bring various misfortunes, such as business failures, illnesses, and even death.