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NATURAL HISTORY OF A BRONZE AGE JEWEL FOUND IN CRETE: THE MALIA PENDANT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2020

E Charles Nelson Open the ORCID record for E Charles Nelson [Opens in a new window] ,
Georgios Mavrofridis Open the ORCID record for Georgios Mavrofridis [Opens in a new window]  and
Ioannis Th Anagnostopoulos Open the ORCID record for Ioannis Th Anagnostopoulos [Opens in a new window]
E Charles Nelson
Affiliation:
Tippitiwitchet Cottage, Hall Road, Outwell, Wisbech PE14 8PE, Norfolk, UK. Email: tippitiwitchet@phonecoop.coop
Georgios Mavrofridis
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biogeography & Ecology, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100Mytilene, Greece. Email: mavrofridis@geo.aegean.gr
Ioannis Th Anagnostopoulos
Affiliation:
School of Education, University of Western Macedonia, 53100Florina, Greece. Email: yiannisalfa@yahoo.com
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Abstract

The unique gold pendant found at Chrysolakkos, Malia, Crete, in 1930 has been variously interpreted, and usually is said to represent a pair of bees. This vague interpretation is discussed, and it is pointed out that the three discs that are suspended from the pendant closely resemble the fruits of a native Cretan herb, Tordylium apulum. Megascolia maculata, a member of the order Hymenoptera, is proposed as the model for the insects. Like a gold toggle pin, also from Chrysolakkos, the pendant demonstrates that Cretan goldsmiths were capable of creating aesthetically pleasing work by paying close attention to the local flora and fauna and used examples as the models for their unique jewellery

Keywords

Tordylium apulumMegascolia maculataRomulea bulbocodiumChrysolakkos (Malia, Crete)Middle Minoan artMinoan gold jewellery
Type
Research paper
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 101 , September 2021 , pp. 67 - 78
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society of Antiquaries of London

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References

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