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Bracelet from the Olbia Treasure Hellenistic Greek late 2nd century BCE Gold Garnet Amethyst Chrysoprase, glass, enamel
Part of the Olbia Treasure unearthed at Olbia, site of an ancient Greek colony in the Crimea, in 1891. Greeks settled in the Crimea on the shores of the Euxine (Black) Sea in the 7th century BC. The first large colony, Pantikapeion, was founded in the 6th century and was quickly followed by more. These ‘Pontic’ cities became so powerful that in the 5th century they founded their own kingdom, which experienced a golden age in the 4th century
BC. Greek jewellery was assembled from separate components which were hammered into shape from a thin sheet of gold in moulds. Hatchings and figures were gouged from the gold and the craftsmen often worked with filigree – thin, twisted threads of gold with which highly delicate decorations were applied. The Greeks offered jewels to the gods and used them to decorate divine images. - Excerpted from Greek Gold
This piece was later reworked in the 1st century BCE.
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland USA
