Gold armlet
Χ-Α267
Metal (Gold)
Intact
Width: 4 cm.
Mochlos
Cemetery, Tomb XVI
Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial period. Early Minoan ΙΙ- ΙΙΙ period:
2700-2000 BC:
Gallery:
ICase:
12Exhibition thematic unit:
Early Bronze Age - Prepalatial period (3000 - 1900 BC). Settlements and cemeteries - the rise of ruling groupsDescription
Gold ornament formed of a thick strip of metal, the largest and heaviest gold object found in the Mochlos cemetery. It was made using a large quantity of gold and exceptional technical skills. It was probably worn as an armlet, although it may have also have been part of a belt. It is decorated with repoussé parallel lines and herringbone patterns hammered into the soft gold sheet. The edges are doubled back, indicating that it was attached to a soft perishable backing like cloth or leather, now lost. The ornament was found in Tomb XVI of the rich cemetery on the islet of Mochlos, which was still connected to the Cretan mainland in the 3rd millennium BC. The member of the prosperous and outward-looking community who wore it was an active participant in the networks of display and circulation of valuable raw materials of that busy harbour hub in northern Crete.Bibliography:
Seager, R. B. 1912. Explorations in the Island of Mochlos. Boston and New York: American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Vasilakis, A. 1996. Ο Χρυσóς και ο Άργυρος στην Κρήτη κατά την Πρώιμη Περίοδο του Χαλκού. Heraklion, Crete: Heraklion Municipality, Vikelaia Library. Hickman, J. 2008, Gold Before the Palaces: Crafting jewelry and social identity in Minoan Crete, Pennsylvania. Soles, J. 1992, The Prepalatial Cemeteries at Mochlos and Gournia and the House Tombs of Bronze Age Crete. Hesperia Suppl. 24, Princeton. K. Branigan, 1991, Mochlos-An Early Aegean "Gateway Community"? In: R. Laffineur & L. Basch (eds.), Thalassa: L'Egée Préhistorique et la mer: actes de la troisième rencontre égéeenne internationale de l'Université de Liège. Aegaeum 7, Liège, 97-105. Legarra Herrero, B. 2018 Gold, conspicuous consumption and prestige – a relationship in need of review. The case of Early and Middle Bronze Age Crete, in: Armada X.-L., Murillo-Barroso, M. and Charlton, M. (eds). Metals, Minds and Mobility: Integrating Scientific Data with Archaeological Theory. Oxford, Oxbow books. 107-119.Author:
I. G.Photographs' metadata