Heraklion Archaeological Museum - CollectiveAccess System : Gold/silver objects : Gold pendant in the shape of two facing bees [Χ-Α559]

Gold pendant in the shape of two facing bees

Χ-Α559

Metal (Gold)

Intact

Maximum diameter: 4.6 cm.

Malia

Chryssolakkos Burial Complex

Middle Bronze Age. Protopalatial period, Middle Minoan II period.:

1800 - 1700 BC:

Gallery:

Case:

Exhibition thematic unit:

Middle Bronze Age - Late Prepalatial-Protopalatial period (2200-1700 BC). From small communities to towns

Cemeteries

Description

Pendant in the shape of two bees facing each other. A masterpiece of Minoan miniature art, combining different techniques. The pendant depicts two bees with open wings facing each other, joined at the head and stinger. They are holding a disc between them, probably a honeycomb, while the round object in their mouths is thought to be a drop of honey. The discs hanging from the joined stingers and the wings are decorative elements, as is the tiny cage containing a loose bead on the insects’ heads. The back of the ornament is a flat gold sheet. It has been skilfully made using four different techniques: filigree, granulation, repouss? and incised decoration. The pendant is a condensed depiction of honey production. Honey and wax were important elements of the Minoan economy, while bees also appear to have been important Minoan religious symbols.

Bibliography:

Demargne, P. Fouilles executes ? Mallia. Exploration des N?cropoles. Etudes Cr?toises VII. Paris, 1945. Bloedow, E. F. and C. Bj?rk. The Malia Pendant: a study in iconography and Minoan religion. Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici 27, 1989: 9-67. Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki, Ν. Το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου. Athens, 2005, 308-309. Dimopoulou, Ν. "Οι τέχνες". In S. Mandalaki and G. Rethemiotakis, Μινωικός κόσμος. Ταξίδι στις απαρχές της Ευρώπης, Heraklion, 2015, 150, 179.

Author:

E. S.

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