Earrings

ca. 6th–4th century BCE

Not on view

This pair of earrings is made of gold. Each earring is crescent-shaped, with granulation on the inner and outer edges. Each crescent is decorated with a row of raised bosses, and is surrounded on the outer edge by gold spheres. The opening of the crescent is bridged by a gold wire, by which the earring would have been attached to the wearer’s ear.

These earrings are typical of Achaemenid Persian jewelry. Earrings of similar shape have been excavated at Susa and Pasargadae, and they are depicted at Susa and Persepolis, where they are shown being worn by men.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Earrings
Period: Achaemenid
Date: ca. 6th–4th century BCE
Geography: Iran
Culture: Achaemenid
Medium: Gold
Dimensions: 1 1/8 × 1 1/8 × 3/16 in. (2.9 × 2.9 × 0.4 cm)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1995
Object Number: 1995.180a, b
Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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