# Colors and Stones

> COLORS & STONES


## Posts

- [Hatra, Shrine IX](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/12/23/hatra-shrine-ix/): Shrine IX, 2nd century Shrine of šmš [Shamash] and Hercules/Nergallocated 200 m south of the temenos wall of the Great Temple “Epigraphical evidence indicates that muqimšmš son of wrwd the rbytʾ (mayor) built this shrine (ʾzdʾ) (inscriptions H60, H61), probably dedicated to the worship of šmš. An inscribed slab was placed over the bench in the niche by ʿbdmlyk son of whwbʾ and his son ʿqbšmš, on the occasion of building an altar and a platform in the year 165 CE (476), for their lives and the lives of their sons (H62).Moreover, 22 years later, in the year 498 (187)… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gonur Depe - gold "medallions". Margiana (Bactria), 18th-15th C BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/12/06/gonur-depe-gold-medallions/): An intact cist from an intact burial #560“Three gold (two identical designs and one different) earrings (cast together with hooks), a round gold medallion decorated with an eight-ray rosette in relief, with a hole in the center , a cast gold cone with an inner hole for attachment and finally a gold bracelet made of two twisted wires with an intact loop on one end and a broken loop on the other end. Besides these whole pieces, the cist yielded nine round beads made of faience covered with gold foil (amalgama) and eleven gold cylinder beads” [V. Sarianidi] Burial #1… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold earrings, Armenia, 1st-2nd century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/12/02/gold-earrings-armenia-1st-2nd-century-d-b/): Gold and garnet, earrings from Ashnak, Armenia, 1st-2nd century.On the photo below:L. gold triangular earrings with garnets, 3 bell-shaped pendants; height 4.2 cm, weight 5.57 gR. gold triangular earrings with garnets and glass paste, 4 bell-shaped pendants; height 4.7 cm, weight 7 g.These earrings have their parallels in the ornaments found in Transcaucasia and other places. Earrings of the same type are known from Bori, dating back to the 1st-2nd centuries. Lit. Inga E. Avagyan, About the Treasure of Karmraqar Stored in the Historical and Cultural Museum-Preserve «Kumayri».// «Scientifiс Works» of SCAS NAS RA. Gyumri, 2023.V.1 (26). DOI:10.52971/18294316-2023.26.1-100https://arar.sci.am/Content/361119/09.pdf The Gold… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Rock crystal smal flasks from Syria](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/30/rock-crystal-smal-flask-from-syria/): Rock crystal alabastron in a gold mount. H.: 7.5 cm, D.: 4.5 cm, total weight: 55.9 gramsSaid to be from a grave near Apamea, SyriaEarly Roman imperial, c. 30 BC – 20 ADAltes Museum Berlin Inv. 1981.17. Acquired on the art market in 1981 “This unguent vessel made from rock crystal has survived from antiquity in an almost undamaged state, complete with its gold suspension chain. Perhaps the delicate flask served to hold the perfume of a wealthy Roman woman. From a single block of transparent rock crystal the stone-cutter succeeded in making a thin-walled and fragile vessel with high… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Grape-shaped earrings of the Roman period - triangular pendant with pearls](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/29/grape-shaped-earrings-of-the-roman-period-triangular-pendant-with-pearls/): This post is about a particular type of earrings from Roman times that appear to be a simplified, schematic, version of grape-shaped earrings. Gold earring with carnelian and pearls, 2nd-3rd century, Cyprus. Length 4.5 cm Earring composed of a rectangular box setting with carnelian, and a triangular pendant decorated with rows of gold wires with pearls strung on them. Such earrings were found in 2nd-3rd century tombs at Larnaca, Cyprus. Pair of the earrings is in the collection of the British Museum.
- [Jewelry from the Roman period Croatia](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/26/jewelry-from-the-roman-period-croatia/)
- [Palmyra, relief of Akhmat, 2nd C [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/24/palmyra-relief-of-akhmat-2nd-c-d-b/):  Limestone relief from Palmyra, inscribed “Akmath, daughter of Horah, Alas!” Collection: ROM Ontario, inv. no. 953X94.3https://collections.rom.on.ca
- [Massive hemispherical earrings, Roman period - overview](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/11/round-earrings/): lepsza fota https://www.petminuti.com Pamuk Mogila near the Plovdiv village of Brestovitsa, Bulgaria, 1st centuryhttps://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B0 Gold jewelry belonging to a woman from a prominent Thracian family was discovered by archaeologists during excavations of the mound near the Plovdiv village of Brestovitsa, Bulgaria. They were found in a third grave dating to the 1st century. Archaeologists suggest that the woman may have been the wife of a ruler. Her burial ritual was cremation. A wooden chest with appliqués, two bronze locks in the shape of a deity and a clasp were found in the grave. The chest also contains two gold jewelry… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Village of Kapitan Petko Voivoda, Bulgaria, 2nd C female burial](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/11/village-of-kapitan-petko-voivoda-bulgaria-2nd-c-female-burial/): An intact grave of a young woman with unique gold jewelry from the beginning of the 2nd century was discovered in 2025 near the village of Kapitan Petko Voivoda in the province of Topolovgrad, Bulgaria. Among the finds are massive gold hemispherical earrings found in the head area, and a gold agraffe-brooch with a cameo – a female / Eros head carved in high relief. Other artifacts discovered include a bronze tripod-type table with legs in the shape of mythical sirens, an extremely rare find for the territory of the Roman Empire, a toilet chest, as well as glass and… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Village of Kapitan Petko Voivoda in Topolovgrad, Bulgaria. Thracian female burial, 2nd century](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/10/village-of-kapitan-petko-voivoda-in-topolovgrad-bulgaria-thracian-female-burial-2nd-century/): Burial of a Thracian “princess” was discovered in 2024 near the village of Kapitan Petko Voivoda in Topolovgrad [Bulgaria] The female grave is intact, representing a brick-built two-step pit, dug into the mainland and built precisely with ceramic bricks, coated with mortar, explained archaeologist Daniela Agre upon her discovery. A young woman was buried, whose body was initially laid on a specially fastened wooden bed above the grave, and then cremated. Above the grave pit, on the upper step, were placed an elegant bronze vessel in the form of a clam, an ornamented bronze basin, a bronze cauldron, several glass… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Nana / Nanaya](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/04/nana-nanaya/): “A rare green schist figure of NanaGandhara, 2nd/3rd CenturyFinely carved seated on a throne with her feet resting on the back of a lion, holding a staff, her face with a benign expression.Provenance: Acquired in the 1970s”Christie’s auction https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4772879
- [Hariti - goddess with a child, Gandhara. Sculpture overview](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/04/hariti/)
- [Brooch, Roman period, Maikop [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/03/brooch-roman-period-maikop/): Brooch from Maikop [Republic of Adygea, Black Sea region]Gold, garnet, carnelian, glass. 3.7 x 4.5 cmKöln / Cologne, Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Inv. No. D 292
- [Medallion from Syria? Facebook -> Red List -> Auction](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/01/medallion-from-syria/): An ornament [brooch?] from Syria was offered for sale via Facebook in 2019. Photo below was posted on the website https://www.scorpapp.com, then reposted on the Yandex >> https://yandex.ru It appears that the ornament offered for sale on Facebook has been framed, made into a pendant and was put up for auction in 2024 as the Hellenistic pendant https://auction.apolloauctions.com/lots/view/5-1F6ISN/hellenistic-gold-disc-pendant-with-cabochons “Description Ca. 300 – 100 BC. A finely rendered Hellenistic 21.5ct gold disc-shaped pendant, hammered from thin gold, with a large central garnet cabochon that is encircled by smaller garnets and turquoise cabochons. Between the smaller cabochons are unique imbossed human faces.… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Tillya Tepe - bejeweled weapon. Tomb 4, male burial](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/01/tillya-tepe-bejeweled-weapon/): Tillya Tepe is an archaeological site in northern Afghanistan near Sheberghan, in the ancient region of Bactria. It was surveyed in 1979 by a Soviet-Afghan mission of archaeologists led by Victor Sarianidi. They found a total of around 20,000 gold ornaments in six graves thought to date to around the 1st century BCE – 1st century CE. Lit. : В.И. Сарианиди, Храм и некрополь Тиллятепе. [V.I. Sarianidi, Temple and necropolis of Tillya Tepe] // 1989. 240 p. ISBN 5-02-009438-2 In the grave of the supposed chieftain, the only male found at the site (Tomb 4), a man aged between 20… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Tillya Tepe - necklaces](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/11/01/tillya-tepe-necklaces/): Tillya Tepe is an archaeological site in northern Afghanistan near Sheberghan, in the ancient region of Bactria. It was surveyed in 1979 by a Soviet-Afghan mission of archaeologists led by Victor Sarianidi. They found a total of around 20,000 gold ornaments in six graves thought to date to around the 1st century BCE – 1st century CE. STRING OF BEADS Necklace from the Tomb 3.Made of gold hollow beads, diam. of beads 1,6-2,1 cm The necklace consists of 13 hollow gold beads: 11 in the form of spheres and 2 conical, and four “black” beads made of amber. Diam. of… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Scent bottle 23, 24 [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/28/scent-bottle-23-24-d-b/): Fig. 53. A wide-necked flask made of two soldered halves: a flat back and a convex front. The neck, with its relief collar ornament, is specially crafted and then soldered to the body. The convex surface is outlined with a row of granulation balls. A vertical plate dividing the flask’s surface into two equal halves is also edged with rows of granulation. On the free surface are four round cells with coral inlays (two are missing). The neck collar has two holes for securing the stopper with a pin. Mus. Petrop., p. 193, no. 8; Akadem. Atl., XXI, fig. 3;… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [The Sargat culture, Siberia](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/26/the-sargat-culture-siberia/): Sargat culture, an archaeological culture from the 7th/6th centuries BCE to the 4th/5th centuries CE in the forest-steppe of the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia (up to the middle reaches of the Om River). The name was established based on the burial mounds excavated in 1927 by V. P. Levasheva near the village of Sargatka, 100 km north of Omsk. Local groups and 4 stages are distinguished: pre-Sargatian (7th-6th centuries BCE; east of the area), Sargat-Gorokhovo (5th-3rd centuries BCE), Sargatian (4th/3rd centuries BCE – 2nd century CE), late Sargatian (3rd-5th centuries CE).  Sargatian jewelry, Tyutrino burial ground, Tyumen region, Western Siberia 1, 4 —… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [1st-2nd C fan, Sarmatian priestess burial, Sokolova Mohyla, Ukraine](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/24/1st-2nd-c-fan/): “1–2nd century AD. Gold, silver, leather, metal, wood. Sokolova Mohyla mound near the village of Kovalivka, Mykolaiv region. Excavations by G.T. Kovpanenko, 1974.The fan consists of a wooden disk and a silver handle. The disk is covered with leather that was painted red. In the center of the disk, on both sides, two small flat bronze mirrors are fixed, between which the remains of wood and leather have been preserved. The end of the fan disk and the mirrors are edged with gold ribbons with a relief floral ornament, which were attached to the base with silver nails. At the… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Bracelets, Roman period Turkey [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/19/bracelets-roman-period-turkey-d-b/): Pair of bracelets from a Roman period burial, Kocakizlar Tumulus, province of Eskisehir, northern Phrygia, Turkey. Two bracelets, diam. 4-4.5 cm., decorated with gold wire. At the center of each is a rectangular, hollow box setting with hinges in which is set an emerald. Eskişehir Archaeological Museum Lit. Yusuf Sümer Atasoy, The Kocakizlar Tumulus in Eskişehir, Turkey https://www.academia.edu/44732407/The_Kocakizlar_Tumulus More pictures >> https://arachne.dainst.org/search?offset=50&fl=20&q=Kocakizlar-Tumulus
- [Bracelet from Pergamon, Turkey. Roman? Byzantine? [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/19/bracelet-from-pergamon-turkey-roman-byzantine-d-b/): Bracelet [wide cuffs] from Pergamon, today Turkey. Gold with the emeralds and pearl. Depending of the source: Roman period or 6th-7th century. Archaeological Museum in Istanbul Lit. http://www.megep.meb.gov.tr/mte_program_modul/moduller_pdf/Tak%C4%B1n%C4%B1n%20Geli%C5%9Fimi.pdf
- [Medallion, Roman Imperial, RGM Köln [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/10/11/medallion-roman-imperial-rgm-koln-d-b/): Gold medallion / pendant with a black-green glass “stone”.Diameter of the gold plate: 4.3 cm. Diam. of the stone: 2.5 cm. Finding place: unknown. Römisch-Germanische Museum, Köln; Inv. No.: D 69. “The Greeks were the Romans’ teachers in all things artistic. Greek artistic taste persisted well into the imperial period, particularly in the workshops of the Eastern Mediterranean, from which this decorative plate likely originated. The golden frame for the large black-green glass stone is decorated with intricate ornaments made of beaded gold wire, gold beads, and blossoms. A wreath of enamel or stone inlays, of which only the settings… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Necklace segments, gold and garnet, Byzantine [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/28/necklace-segments-byzantine/): Eszter Horváth, Gemstone and glass inlaid fine metalwork from the Carpathian Basin: the Hunnic and Early Merovingian Periodshttps://www.researchgate.net [accessed 28 Sept 2025] Christie’s 1996: Christie’s Fine Antiquities. 11 December 1996. Purchased/exhibited by The Met Museum
- [Bronze tesserae with Bel, Palmyra](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/17/bronze-tesserae-with-bel-palmyra/): The entry concerns double-sided tokens from Palmyra made (cast?) of bronze with a depiction of the god Bel. Bronze tessera, 1st-3rd century, PalmyraH.:  3.45 cm; W.: 2.57 cm; Thickness:  0.88 cmInscription: Palmyrene AramaicLouvre  AO 11762 https://collections.louvre.fr “This bronze tessera, an entry token for various public or private meetings, such as funeral ceremonies or banquets, depicts the god Bel, the supreme god of Palmyra, on the front. He is depicted in bust form, wearing a cylindrical headdress over ample curly hair. In his left hand he holds a palm leaf. Two decorative rosettes, perhaps representing the sun and moon, decorate the top of… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Brooch with Goddess Artemis, Crimea, 1st century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/14/brooch-with-goddess-artemis-crimea-1st-century-d-b/): Roman necropolis Luchistoe-2, Crimea, female burial, bronze fibula-brooch with an image of Artemis. 1st century A circle made of thin sheet bronze (size – 2.68 x 2.92 cm, thickness – 0.02 cm) with an image embossed on a hard model (stamped?). Probably, it was equipped with a soldered “bow” needle apparatus on the back side. Лысенко А.В., Масякин В.В., Мордвинцева В.И. Могила № 1 некрополя римского времени Лучистое-2 (Южный Крым) // История и археология Крыма. Вып.II, 2015, Симферополь https://www.academia.edu
- [Golden fibula of Alesia type with the garnet, Crimea, 1st C BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/13/golden-fibula-of-alesia-type-with-the-garnet-d-b/): Small gold fibula of Alesia type with the garnet insert, from the sanctuary near the pass of Gurzufskoe Sedlo. 2nd half of the 1st century BCEL. 4.5 cm. The pin was made of iron Natalia Novichenkova, Fibulae of Late Hellenistic and Roman periods from the sanctuary of Gurzufskoe Sedlo in the Mountain Crimea https://www.academia.edu/89373546/An_emperor_to_take_away_a_new_group_of_fibulae_from_the_times_of_Caracalla Новиченкова Н.Г. Фибулы из святилища у перевала Гурзуфское Седлоhttps://www.academia.edu
- [A bone fibula from an Archaic sanctuary in Pheneos, Arcadia, Greece [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/13/a-bone-fibula-from-an-archaic-sanctuary-in-pheneos-arcadia-greece-d-b/): A bone fibula from an Archaic sanctuary in Pheneos, Arcadia, Greece Kerstin Bauer, The fibulae from an Archaic sanctuary in Pheneos, Arcadia https://www.academia.edu/89373546/An_emperor_to_take_away_a_new_group_of_fibulae_from_the_times_of_Caracalla
- [Pendant with a horseman, Sarmatian, 3rd/4th century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/09/11/pendant-with-a-horseman-sarmatian-3rd-4th-century-d-b/): Source:Sergey Voroniatov, T. V. Ryabkova, Pendant with a Horseman // Epochs, Burial Mounds, Findings: Honouring the 175th Anniversary of Nikolay Veselovsky. Exhibition Catalogue. Saint Petersburg, 2024 [Подвеска со всадником // Эпохи, курганы, находки: К 175-летию со дня рождения Н.И. Веселовского. Каталог выставки. СПб.]https://www.academia.edu Gold and garnet. 5.8 x 5 cm. 3rd – first half of the 4th century Acquired for the Imperial Archaeological Commission in Maikop, 1915. Received in 1926 from GAIMKThe Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Inv. No. 2514–4 A decoration in the form of a square plate with a pair of ears for hanging. On the plate there is… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold pendants of a horse bridle, Tanais, 3rd century [scent bottle 21, 22]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/08/24/gold-pendants-of-a-horse-bridle-tanais-3rd-century-scent-bottle-21-22/): Photos source http://xn—-8sbkcccbxmnrdic7bg.xn--p1ai/2016/01/26/fotogalereya/#bwg1/15 Gold pendants with garnet inserts, decoration of the horse bridle. Found during rescue excavations of the burial ground of the ancient settlement of Tanais [Танаис (х. Недвиговка, Мясниковский район)], in a burial from the beginning of the 3rd century. Lit.: Sarmatian burial, Rostov region
- [The "Golden Woman" of Kazakhstan, 6th-5th century BCE](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/08/14/the-golden-woman-of-kazakhstan-6th-5th-century-bce/): The “Golden Woman” of Kazakhstan, 6th-5th century BCE, was a young girl of 15-18 years old, probable a priestess. She was quite tall – 170 cm, with long hair and a tattoo. Mound No. 6 from the complex of elite burials of Taksai-1, in which “Altyn khanshayym” [Golden Woman] was discovered, turned out to be untouched. Scientists call their discovery “golden” because of the large number of products and jewelry made from this precious metal, like the massive golden temporal pendants, golden plaques embroidered on the back, a wrist decoration made of wolf fangs framed in gold. The girl sitting on the… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Thymiaterion and Buddhist stupa - resemblance of a shape](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/08/14/thymiaterion-and-buddhist-stupa-resemblance-of-a-shape/): The ancient Greek thymiateria were used in private and public rituals of the 7th century BCE – 4th century CE. A thymiaterion (an incense burner) is firstly mentioned in the 5th century BCE in Herodotus’ Historia.The word “thymiaterion” is derived from Greek θυμιάειν thymiaein and means “to smoke”. Is used for censers of ancient Greece, but also for Etruscan incense burners. “This device was used solely with fire, charcoal or heated pebbles to burn aromatic compounds, incense and aromatic plants and flowers in particular. Thymiateria didn’t have any fixed shapes or sizes. In narrative sources, they were also named bomiskos, libanotis (libanotris), escharis, tripodiskos etc.”… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Silver bust of Dionysus, Taxila, 1st C BCE - 2nd C CE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/08/12/silver-bust-of-dionysus-taxila-1st-c-bce-2nd-c-ce-d-b/): Silver medallion found at Sirkap, Taxila by John Marshall. Repoussé bust of bearded figure [Dionysos / Silenus / Hercules] with the grapevine wreath and goblet is framed into the handle of a bowl. Dated 1st century BCE [Durham University] – 2nd century CE [Arputharani Sengupta, Morphology of Roman Iconography in Gandhara https://www.academia.edu] Islamabad National Museum of Pakistan (1957.1.1860). According to Llewelyn Morgan https://llewelynmorgan.com it was stolen from the museum in 1999
- [Brooch with Goddess Fortuna, Crimea [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/08/01/brooch-with-goddess-fortuna-crimea-d-b/): Round fibula-brooch with an image of goddess Tyche / Fortune holding a cornucopia and the rudder. Gold foil on the bronze base. Found in the Roman period sanctuary on Mount Kara-Tau, Crimea. The brooch was left there as a votive [sacrificial] offering. 2nd-3rd century The objects were discovered in 2013 by A. V. Gavrilov, an employee of the Crimean branch of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, following the large-scale looting of the settlement, necropolis and sanctuary, which began in the 1990s. Analysis of the materials obtained during the study of the sanctuary allows… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold medallion with "Virgin Mary", Byzantine [?] [auction]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/07/19/gold-medallion-with-virgin-mary-byzantine-auction/): “An exceptional Early Byzantine gold pendant in the shape of a medallion, featuring the draped and veiled bust of the Virgin Mary on the obverse. The image has been embossed into the gold via repoussé technique. The figure is adorned with granulation, which outlines the folds in her drapery, her eyes and jewellery, and the band of her headpiece. The portrait on the pendant is encircled with plaited gold strands. A suspension loop features at the top, enhanced with a ridged body and larger granulation at each end. Date: Circa 7th-8th Century AD” Ancient & Oriental, Londonhttps://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/pendants/exceptional-early-byzantine-gold-medallion-pendant-with-the-virgin-mary/
- [Gold medallion with a female bust, Byzantine [?] [auction]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/07/19/gold-medallion-with-a-female-bust-byzantine-auction/): “Byzantine Gold Medallion with the Bust of an Empress and GarnetsCulture: ByzantinePeriod: 7th-8th century A.D.Material: Gold, garnetsDimensions: 6.3 cm highPrice: SoldRef: 3532Provenance: From the estate of the French art dealer Evrard de Rouvre (1923-1979). Thence with his daughter Isabelle and her husband Francois van den Broeck. Since then in the family estate.Condition: A small corrosion hole on the medallion at the bottom right. Left of the medallion garnets are missing, but this does not have an effect on the overall impression of the pendant.Description: Important Byzantine gold pendant consisting of a round medallion, gold beads of different forms and sizes… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold brooch, Roman, 2nd-3rd century [auction] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/07/18/gold-brooch-roman-2nd-3rd-century-auction-d-b/): Roman gold oval plate fibula, with a central inlay of sardonyx cabochon intaglio with a bust of the god Apollo. 2nd-3rd century21.68 grams, L: 47mmTimeLine Auctions June 2020, LOT 0146 https://timelineauctions.com/lot/large-roman-gold-brooch-with-apollo-gemstone/158890/ “A hollow-formed gold oval plate brooch with braided filigree border, concentric bands of bosses and applied filigree guilloche, beaded wire collar with applied granules; central dome with cell, inset truncated oval sardonyx cabochon, intaglio profile bust of Apollo, applied catch and two hoops to the reverse. PROVENANCE:From a late 1990s private collection; formerly acquired on the UK art market in the early 1980s; accompanied by a copy of a… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Jewelry smuggled from Syria to Turkey in 2014](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/07/10/jewelry-smuggled-from-syria-to-turkey-in-2014/): Fifty-four artifacts, identified as having been brought illegally from Syria, were seized. Four Syrian nationals were detained. Source >> an article [2014, updated in 2018] Historical artifact smuggling in Gaziantep https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/gaziantepte-tarihi-eser-kacakciligi-425224
- [Bejeweled female portrait, Cyprus, Hellenistic [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/07/07/bejeweled-female-portrait-cyprus-hellenistic-d-b/): “This exceptionally fine Cypriot head is closest in quality and style to the well-known ‘Lady of Arso’ in Nicosia (Dikaios, 1961, p. 102, no. D282, pl. 21; Connelly, 1988, pp. 36—37, no. 3). The Pitcairn head is among the best of a group of votive sculptures of the Hellenistic period identified by Connelly as coming from the site of Arsos. Production at this local workshop began in the early 3rd c., when the generic types bear a relationship to representations of the early Ptolemies, and lasted into the middle of the 1st c. B.C. (Connelly, 1988, pp. 25-31).” (David Gilman Romano and Irene Bald Romano, _Catalogue… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Identical earrings from a museum in Greece and the Netherlands](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/06/29/identical-earrings-from-a-museum-in-greece-and-the-netherlands/): Pair of earrings from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden collection is dated to the 1st century and according to the museum description come from Italy. Made of gold with garnets are 4,3 cm long. A single earring from the Stathatos Collection is dated to the 1st – 3rd century and made of gold with garnets and glass. All three earrings are very similar, they could have been made in one goldsmith’s workshop.
- [Magnitny burial ground, southern Urals, 3rd century](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/05/29/magnitny-burial-ground-southern-urals-3rd-century/): Early Iron Age burial ground — Magnitny burial ground, mound 21, Chelyabinsk region, Agapovsky district. The research was conducted in 2010 by a joint team of SUSU and Chelyabinsk State University. The burial ground belongs to the Early Iron Age of the Southern Trans-Urals, the materials are dated to the middle of the 3rd century AD. Могильник Магнитный, курган 21, Челябинская область, Агаповский район.Могильник относится к раннему железному веку Южного Зауралья, материалы датируются сер. III в. н.э https://natu.susu.ru
- [Palmyra reliefs in Turkmenistan [ancient Margiana], 1st-2nd century](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/05/16/palmyra-reliefs-in-turkmenistan/): In 1956, in the Vekil Bazar area near the city of Mary in Turkmenistan, two steles were discovered that turned out to be Palmyrene reliefs of a middle-aged man in a Roman robe and a girl in a tunic with a bird in her left hand and a bunch of grapes in her right. Both reliefs are inscribed: a girl is “Bayt, daughter of Hairan, [son] of Taimarku“, a man – “Mezabban, son of Borea, [son] of Nih”. Alas!” Based on the inscriptions M.E. Masson, suggested that Taimarku could be identified with Taimarku from the Palmyra inscription of 193, a… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Prowincjonalno-Rzymskie brosze](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/05/16/prowincjonalno-rzymskie-brosze/)
- [Palmyra, Tomb no 36, 210-230 CE](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/04/24/palmyra-tomb-no-36-210-230-ce/): The temple or house (palace)-like tomb no. 36 is situated in the center of the ‘Valley of the Tombs’. It is dated to 210-230 CE.
- [Roman ring, 2nd C [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/04/02/roman-ring-2nd-c-d-b/): Roman ring; gold, sapphire and pearl. 2nd century, Italy Collection of the Villa Giulia Source: https://catalogo.beniculturali.it
- [Isis-Aphrodite figurines from Egypt](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/03/30/isis-aphrodite-figurines-from-egypt/): This terracotta figurine of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite was found inside a wooden gable-roof coffin of grave G110. “Based both on its archaeological context and comparison with other examples, this statue can be dated to the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC.”During the new season of excavations [2016] carried out at the ancient settlement of Philadelphia, founded by Ptolemy II, in the oasis of El Fayum, archaeologists have uncovered a Greco-Roman funerary building inside which they have discovered, among other materials, a set of polychrome anthropomorphic coffins, some beautifully decorated with the face of the deceased [for the “mummy” portrait read >> https://colorsandstones.eu/2022/08/12/portrait-of-a-girl-from-fayum-wearing-a-discriminalia-hair-ornament-d-b/] For the… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Złoty ornament - element diademu? III-IV w. ne.](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/03/17/zloty-ornament-element-diademu-iii-iv-w-ne/): W muzeum Erimtan w Ankarze znajduje się złoty ornament ozdobiony turkusem i karneolem datowany na III-IV w. ne. Na pierwszy rzut oka wyglądający jak kolczyk z podwieszkami ma z boku przylutowane dwa uszka, które sugerują oryginalnie istniejące połączenie zawiasem z kolejnym elementem, dzisiaj zagubionym. Sądzę, że ten ornament mógł być częścią diademu. “Cat. No. 14: Among the artifacts in the Erimtan Museum [Ankara, Turkey], the pendulum and probably hook artifact identified as Cat. No. 1423, is made entirely of gold and a solid filling hollow. The design includes a long, rectangular segment that widens in the center and terminates in… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Palmyra - fragmenty rzeźb z ciekawymi elementami](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/03/06/palmyra-fragmenty-rzezb-z-ciekawymi-elementami/)
- [Brooch with pendants, 2nd-4th century Croatia [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/02/25/brooch-with-pendants-2nd-4th-century-croatia-d-b/): Tea Tomaš Barišić, Nakit iz zbirki Gradskog muzeja Sisakhttps://www.academia.edu Gold and glass brooch with pendants [one is missing]. 2nd-4th century CE, Sisak, Roman time CroatiaL. 35 mm, w. 26 mm, L. with pendants 90 mmA plate-shaped oval fibula decorated along the edge with red and green glass inserts. The central recessed part carried a gem or ornamental stone. In the lower part it is decorated with three hanging chains ending in a green glass prismatic bead.
- [Byzantine jewels, 5th-6th century, Lebanon [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/02/23/byzantine-jewels-5th-6th-century-lebanon-d-b/): gold, pearls and semiprecious stones, Beirut, 5th-6th Century4.3 cm long, 4.9 cm wide. Found in Beirut, Lebanon.Inv. no. 25440 Beirut, National Archeological MuseumRectangular ornaments, a part of a headdress or a necklace To compare: Byzantine earrings from the Terra Sancta Museumhttps://www.terrasanctamuseum.org/en/photos/
- [Byzantine bottle for holy oils, Syria, 10th century](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/02/19/byzantine-bottle-for-holy-oils-syria-10th-century/): The Byzantine phial used as a container for Christian holy oils, Northern Syria. Gold and amethyst. In the private collection in Switzerland. “This elegant little vessel with its egg-shaped belly decorated with two amethysts was found in the North of Syria. The byzantine crosses engraved on the amethysts imply that it was fabricated around the 10th century AD, The shell-shaped receptacle and the clip indicate that the vessel was designed to hold Christian holy oils. The artifact was loaned for analysis by a private foundation in Switzerland.” G. Demortier, Analysis of Gold jewellery Artifacts CHARACTERIZATION OF ANCIENT GOLD SOLDERS BY… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Relief of Amta, Palmyra, hypogeum of Sasan, 2nd century [Palmyra Museum] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/02/02/relief-of-amta-palmyra-hypogeum-of-sasan-palmyra-museum-d-b/): Funerary bust of ‘MT”, daughter of MLK’L [Amtâ, daughter of Malkâl, (son of) Moqîmû]. Found in the hypogeum of Sasan. Palmyra, Syria. Dated 170-200 CE Palmyra Museum. h. 59 cm. w. 46 cm. Round brooch with pendants, a choker with a medallion, dumbbell earrings, two rings on a little finger Sculptures of Palmyra, Katsumi Tanabe, 1986 [372, fig. 341] Jewels with Stone Inlays from Hatra – Parthica 16, 2014
- [The belt from Samtavro, Georgia, 3rd century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/30/the-belt-from-samtavro-georgia-d-b/): “In Late Classical period, in eastern Georgia production of polychrome ornaments is resumed; samples of this kind of ornaments have been discovered in Samtavro. Colored stones that were the determining aspect of Iberian polychrome ornaments were imported from eastern countries, especially from India. These relations were reflected even on the methods of processing of gold ornaments themselves. First of all, inlaying of colored stones should be mentioned.” The buckle is made of lamellar gold which presumably covers silver. Main details of the garter are made of gold alloy that contains over 26% of silver, the tongue of the buckle is… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Georgia, medallion, 3rd-4th century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/28/georgia-medallion/): Samtavro’s tomb, Kvakuti M94 1938.Intaglio garnet (pyrope), in a gold medallion; 3rd-4th centuryA local goldsmith’s product most likely [Mariam Maksimova]
- [Medallion from Yakhmour, Syria [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/23/medallion-from-yakhmour-syria-d-b/): Gold medallion with Aphrodite?, from Yakhmour, Syria, inlaid with garnets. Diameter 3.2 cm. Former Louis de Clercq (1882-1901) collection, Paris;recently [5 December 2024] sold at auction Bonham’s https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29083/lot/68/a-collection-of-egyptian-greek-roman-and-byzantine-gold-and-garnet-jewellery-and-a-western-asiatic-gold-pendant-23/ The jewel was published: A. de Ridder, Collections de Clercq, Tome VII, Les bijoux et les pierres gravées, Paris, 1911, p.242, no. 1348, as a part of the Syrian jewelry group. [for the Syrian jewelry from de Clercq collection read Trésor hellénistique trouvé à Délos en 1964, Tony Hackens, Edmond Lévy https://www.persee.fr See also the medallion >> https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/20/medallion-with-aphrodite-2nd-century-bce-hellenistic-syria-d-b/
- [Gold openwork bracelets, 4th century, Byzantine Syria [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/23/gold-openwork-bracelets-4th-century-byzantine-syria-d-b/): Pair of gold bracelets with emeralds and sapphires. Overall 11.43 cm4th century, Syria (?) Collection: USA, Virginia Museum of Fine ArtsInv. no 67.52.31.1-2https://vmfa.museum Compare with https://colorsandstones.eu/2021/06/08/gold-openwork-bracelet-5th-c-byzantine-syria-d-b/
- [Medallion with Aphrodite, 2nd-1st century BCE, Hellenistic Syria [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/20/medallion-with-aphrodite-2nd-century-bce-hellenistic-syria-d-b/): Gold medallion with Aphrodite, 2nd-1st century BCE. Diameter: 4.9 cm; weight: 4 g Present day in the collection of the Kallos Gallery in London [https://kallosgallery.com/artworks] the item comes from the collection of Louis de Clercq (1882-1901, Paris). De Clercq acquired the medallion in the late 19th century, thence by descent to his grand-nephew Comte Henri de Boisgelin (1901 – 1967), rue de Mazarine, Paris.The jewel was published: A. de Ridder, Collections de Clercq, Tome VII, Les bijoux et les pierres gravées, Paris, 1911, p.242, no. 1349, as a part of the Syrian jewelry group. [for the Syrian jewelry from de Clercq collection… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Pair of bracelets from Yakhmour, Syria, 3rd-4th century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2025/01/14/pair-of-bracelets-from-yakhmour-syria-3rd-4th-century-d-b/): Pair of gold bracelets with agate (sardonyx, eye stones) from Yakhmour, Syria.Date Late 3rd-Early 4th century CE. Diameter 10.16 cm Greek inscription: Οὐκιάσο͡υ >> https://usepigraphy.brown.edu/projects/usep/inscription/VA.Rich.MFA.G.67.52.30.1/ Collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts VMFA 67.52.30.1 https://vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-144808165/
- [Złota biżuteria z pochówku młodej kobiety, Patras, II wiek pne](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/11/26/zlota-bizuteria-z-pochowku-mlodej-kobiety-patras-ii-wiek-pne/): Klejnoty pochodzą z pochówku młodej kobiety z czasów hellenistycznych [150-120 pne] odnalezionego na północnym cmentarzu starożytnego Patras, pochówku nie naruszonego, z ozdobami leżącymi na szkielecie. Ciężki pierścionek i para kolczyków były biżuterią noszoną przez kobietę za życia, podczas gdy reszta ozdób to biżuteria „pogrzebowa”, wykonana z bardzo cienkiej złotej folii. Biżuteria ta była wyjątkowo delikatna, ale szlachetny materiał, z którego została wykonana miał podkreślać prestiż i bogactwo rodziny.Pierścionek, jeden z najpiękniejszych tego okresu, jest inkrustowany emalią [szklaną pastą], której kolory układają się w misterne wykonany obraz ptaka wśród niebieskozielonych liści bluszczu i złotych gałęzi. W dolnej części obrączki widnieje tzw.… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Medallion from Gomphi, Greece, Roman period [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/11/03/medallion-from-gomphi-greece-roman-period-d-b/): Gold medallion was discovered among the findings from two richly decorated Roman tombs from the ancient city of Gomphi near Mouzaki Karditsa [ancient Thessaly, Greece]. The grave offerings include glass censers, gold plates, gold rings with representations, silver and copper relief vessels as well as iron weapons (swords, spearheads etc.), suggesting that the tombs belonged to the upper social class of the Roman-era city of Gomphi. [https://www.newsbeast.gr] “Gold disc with an embossed rendering of the busts of a couple in an embrace. A similar theme is often found on tombstones from Roman times. The edges are decorated with an embossed… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold medallion with Aphrodite [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/08/12/gold-medallion-with-aphrodite-d-b/): Gold medallion with Aphrodite and two Erotes. Crimea. Black Sea region
- [Hellenistic diadem / headband // body chain, 3rd C BCE, Greece [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/08/11/hellenistic-diadem-headband-d-b/): a piece of jewelry whose use is known mainly from its depictions in art. It consists of a central medallion, held crosswise by four bands, at the ends of which there are holes for attaching them to straps. The medal consists of a golden ellipsoidal sling decorated with an inset semi-precious stone (granat), in which the citharist Apollo is depicted in concave form in front of a tripod. The two lower straps were fitted with pendants (chains holding beads), while the bands are decorated with sprigs and moments. This jewel was worn on the chest, usually without clothing, so that… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Aleppo Museum](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/23/aleppo-museum/)
- [Relief of a woman from Palmyra, 2nd century [Damascus Mus.]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/23/relief-of-a-woman-from-palmyra-2nd-century-damascus-mus/): Relief of a woman from Palmyra, 2nd century Damascus Museum collection https://virtual-museum-syria.org/damascus/funerary-half-statue-of-a-woman/
- [Relief of a woman, Palmyra, 3rd century [LACMA] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/22/relief-of-a-woman-palmyra-3rd-century-lacma-d-b/): Funerary Bust from Palmyra, 3rd century.Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (M.76.174.249) https://collections.lacma.org/node/173204 Limestone, 53.34 × 35.56 × 15.24 cm
- [Relief of a woman, Palmyra, 2nd-3rd century [Louvre] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/22/relief-of-a-woman-palmyra-2nd-3rd-century-louvre-d-b/): “Inscribed funerary relief representing the bust of a woman. She is dressed in a tunic and a coat held on the left shoulder by a round fibula. She is adorned with bracelets, a necklace and earrings. Her forehead is encircled by a headband decorated with chains. She is wearing a turban and a veil, the sides of which she holds back. Behind her, a fabric is suspended from two flower-shaped fasteners topped with an upright palmette”
- [Relief of Habibat, Palmyra, 2nd century [Louvre] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/22/relief-of-habibat-palmyra-2nd-century-louvre-d-b/): Funerary relief of a woman, Palmyra, 2nd century Inscription: “Habibat, daughter of Maliku, alas” “Funerary relief inscribed: woman (bust) dressed in a tunic and a coat attached on the left shoulder by a trapezoidal fibula, adorned with bracelets, necklaces and earrings, the forehead encircled by a headband surmounted by a diadem with a plant motif bordered with pearls, wearing a turban and a veil, touching her cheek in a sign of affliction and holding a spindle and a distaff”
- [Relief of a woman with a child, Palmyra, 2nd century [Prague] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/22/relief-of-a-woman-with-a-child-palmyra-2nd-century-prague-d-b/): Funerary relief of a breastfeeding woman from Palmyra, Roman time Syria, late 2nd century Akhita, daughter of Matabal, with a baby in her arms. Limestone. National Museum in Prague, NM-NpM 56
- [Relief of a woman with a child, Palmyra, 200-275 CE [auction] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/22/relief-of-a-woman-with-a-child-palmyra-200-275-ce-auction-d-b/): Funerary relief of a breastfeeding woman from Palmyra, Roman time Syria, 200-275 CE Auction: Bonhams 7 July 2022 https://www.bonhams.com “Carved in high relief, the woman wearing a chiton held in place by a circular brooch at her proper left shoulder, her oval face with large lidded eyes and slightly parting lips, her hair swept-up, partially covering an elaborately decorated fillet, a veil covering the top of her head and falling across her shoulders, wearing pendant earrings, two necklaces, one beaded, the other with a central pendant, and a bracelet on her right wrist, her left wrist with a spiral bangle, a… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold necklace with carnelian cameo, Kerch, 1st century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/16/gold-necklace-with-carnelian-cameo-kerch-1st-century-d-b/): In 1953 the child burial located in a limestone cist was discovered on the site of the Kerch powerboat-fishing station. “Based on the location of the grave, it is assumed that it was situated within the boundaries of a 1st/2nd century CE cemetery that served the city of Panticapaeum in the Glinishche section of the modern city of Kerch”. [Joanna Porucznik]The burial assemblage included a gold torque with a carnelian intaglio, elements of a necklace, a bracelet, a ring, and a glass jug. “A torque made of twisted wires that form an open-worked “Herakles knot” in the center, decorated with… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold brooch, Kerch [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/15/gold-brooch-kerch-d-b/): Gold brooch / medallion; dated ???Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum. Golden Treasury
- [Medallions with a sun motif](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/04/medallions-with-a-sun-motif/): Pair of bracelets from the Tutankhamun’s tomb, 14th century BCEPhoto (C) CULTNAT, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Ayman Khoury https://www.photo.rmn.fr/archive/11-537216-2C6NU0ODZY89.html Gold ornaments with sardonyx “eye stones” and small agate cabochons from the Queen’s Tombs discovered in 1988 – 1989 by Dr. Muzahim Mahmoud under the private apartments of the palace of Assurnasirpal II, 9th century BC, Nimrud, Iraq. Photo by Marc DEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) The bracelet from the Phoenician tomb of Kition, Cyprus, with circular box setting holding a discoid cabochon agate, made around the end of 8th century BCE; 2.5 cm wide.The Phoenician gold jewellery from Kition, Cyprus Two… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Brooch from the Peschanyj Barrow, Sarmatian, 1st century BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/04/brooch-from-the-peschanyj-barrow/): Fibula-brooch – carnelian intaglio with the image of the goddess Nike. Gold, carnelian, garnets, iron. Second half of the 1st c. BCE. Peschanyj Barrow 1, burial 10; Krasnodar region [Хутор Песчаный]. 1979, excavations by A.M. Zhdanovsky. TO COMPARE The brooches. The Kuban (2nd–1st centuries BCE).1 – Razdol’naya Barrow 7, burial 13;2, 9 – Lenina-I burial 12;3 – Starokorsunskaya chance find;4 – Verkhniy Barrow 3, burial 5;5 – Verkhniy Barrow 14;6 – Bryukhovetskaya Barrow 3, burial 13;7 – Peschanyj Barrow 1, burial 10; [Krasnodar region]8 – Mezmay burial 3;10 – Dinskaya Barrow 1, burial 3. [Drawings and photos by V. Mordvintseva; in Barbarians of the North Pontic Region and Their Contacts… In: Cojocaru,… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Sara burial ground, the Orenburg Province, Southern Ural, 6th / 5th century BCE.](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/07/03/53309/): Vitaliy K. Fedorov “The mound in the Bish-Oba tract”, excavations of P. S. Nazarov of 1890 (mound 1 of the Sara burial ground), the history of the study and today’s view https://www.academia.edu Mound 1 of the Sara burial ground, the Orsk District of the Orenburg Province, Southern Ural, the end of the 6th – the beginning of 5th century BCE. Najciekawszym dla mnie znaleziskiem jest komplet siedmiu złotych elementów przypominających formą hellenistyczne segmentowe naszyjniki z kamieniami [na przykład https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/22/polychrome-necklace-1st-century-bce-kuban-d-b/].Elementy “kwadratowe” w kształcie czteroramiennej gwiazdy mają wymiary odpowiednio 1,7×1,6 cm i 1,4×1,2 cm oraz wysokość około 4 mm. W środku znajduje… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Portraits of Arsinoe and Berenike](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/29/portrety-arsinoe-i-berenike/): Na bazie artykułu: M.Treister, Ptolemaic Finger Rings in North Pontic Area: New Finds and Hypotheses https://www.academia.edu Arsinoe II – 316 – 270/268 BCE. Daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter, founder of the Hellenistic state of Egypt, and his second wife Berenice I of Egypt. Ruler of Heraclea Pontica in 284–281 BCE, Queen of Egypt since 277 BCE.Berenike II – 267/266 – 221 BCE. Queen regnant of Cyrenaica from 258 to 246 BCE and co-regent queen of Ptolemaic Egypt from 246 to 222 BCE. Daughter of Apama / Apame II (ca. 292 – 249 BCE), a Syrian Greek princess of the… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold and lapis belt from the Patti Birch collection; Iran, 4th-5th century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/21/gold-and-lapis-belt-from-the-patty-birch-collection-iran-4th-5th-century-d-b/): Part of a belt from Iran, 4th-5th century. Gold, lapis lazuli and garnet.Center stone diameter: 6.5 cm; belt length: 32.5 cm Lapis lazuli – round in the center and oval on the sides – in a gold setting with an ornament of small triangles and beaded rims along the edge; by means of a thin articulated joint, the stones are fastened to plates decorated with triangles made of grain.
- [Naszyjnik z motylem, Muzeum w Odessie, Ukraina [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/18/naszyjnik-z-motylem-muzeum-w-odessie/): Gold butterfly necklace, 1st-2nd century, Odessa Museum, Ukraine https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/1885184 Jewelry from a rich Sarmatian burial, village Mikhailovka, Odessa region, Ukraine
- [Gold plaque with Demeter, 4th century BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/17/gold-plaque-with-demeter-d-b/): Gold plaque with the image of a woman’s head, second half of the 4th century BC, Scythian period.A square gold plaque with a relief image of a woman’s head. The image is transmitted from the front. The face is full with large features. Her hair frames her face in lush waves. The curls fall onto the shoulders. A blanket is thrown over the head. On the neck there is a massive hoop – a hryvnia. To the right of the head is a torch. The entire image is framed by a border in the form of parallel convex ovals. A… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Silver medallion with Aphrodite from Anapa, 1st century BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/13/silver-medallion-with-aphrodite-from-anapa-1st-century-bce-d-b/): In 2023, during archaeological excavations in Anapa [Krasnodar Territory], a silver medallion with an image of goddess Aphrodite was found. It was created most likely in the 1st century BCE. Among other finds are: a multi-colored glass bowl from the same period made using the millefiori technique, and a clay figurine of a girl. Source: https://www.kuban.kp.ru/daily/27502/4763078/ More pictures >> https://kuban24.tv/item/arheologi-nashli-v-anape-unikalnye-antichnye-artefakty-sozdannye-v-i-veke-do-n-e
- [Medallion with Cybele, 2nd century [auction] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/11/medallion-with-cybele-2nd-century-auction-d-b/): Source: https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/artemis-gallery/published-roman-20k-gold-ruby-glass-necklace-cybele-1649640 “ Roman, Imperial, ca. 2nd century CE. An exquisite necklace featuring a circular medallion comprised of a 84% gold (equivalent to 20K+) depicting the goddess Cybele in repousse, holding a scepter, wearing a headdress topped by a ruby cabochon inlay, and flanked by two lions. The pendant is elegantly framed by a finely delineated filigree double border, and the applied loop atop (which includes a stunning ruby cabochon) is beautifully delineated with ribs and termini comprised of double bands of granules. Flanking the pendant are two conical 84% gold (20K+) beads that also present decorative loops atop, delineated… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- ["The Secrets of the Treasury" at the Archaeological Museum of Patras](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/10/the-secrets-of-the-treasury-at-the-archaeological-museum-of-patras/): Jewelry of the Hellenistic Patras of the 4th to the 2nd century. B.C. at the Archaeological Museum of Patras. The funerary jewelry was manufactured of very thin, lightweight gold plates that adorned the dead. The subject matter of their decoration was mainly related to eschatological notions. This jewelry was particularly fragile, but their precious material had to be suitable to show the prestige and wealth of the family. A separate category of funerary jewelry with special symbolic content is funeral wreaths. They were used as emblems of the deceased’s virtue thus being associated with the moral side of his life. Oak… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Clay medallion with Aphrodite and two Erotes [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/08/clay-medallion-with-aphrodite-and-two-erotes/): 187 BC – 168 BC, clay pyxis? lid https://www.searchculture.gr/aggregator/edm/mnam/000150-609295?language=en
- [Gold medallion with Aphrodite, 3rd century BCE, Greece [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/08/gold-medallion-with-aphrodite/): Gold medallion with Aphrodite and Eros3rd century BCE Archaeological Collection of Amorgos, Greece Λ. Μαραγκού, Εργασίες μελέτης και συντήρησης ευρημάτων ανασκαφής Μινώας, ΠΑΕ (1994), πιν. 137α.
- [Necklace with medallions, 4th century BCE, Greece [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/06/08/necklace-with-medallions/): Necklace with pendants in the shape of vultures, cupids, victories, lunulas and with two medallions [Artemis and Apollo-Helios]. Gold and garnetsFrom a village of Petroporo, ancient necropolis of Pelina (Pelinnaio / Πελινναίο Τρικάλων), the area of ​​Trikala (Thessaly, Greece), 4th century BCE. Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Volos
- [Funerary diadem with a medallion depicting Aphrodite-Artemis and two Erotes, 2nd century, Gorgippia [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/29/funerary-diadem-with-a-medallion-depicting-aphrodite-and-two-erotes-2nd-century-gorgippia-d-b/): Gold, medallion diam. 5 cm; diadem length: 62.2 cm; strap width: 0.9 cm “from the investigation documents, these things came from predatory excavations in Anapa or in its environs. A golden funeral wreath in the form of a narrow ribbon with a clasp in the form of a loop and a hook, with trefoils inserted into the holes with embossed guard lines, is decorated with a round medallion riveted in the center.On the round medallion in low relief there is an embossed image of a bust of the goddess in a tunic with a necklace with amphora-shaped pendants, a quiver… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold medallion from Gorgippia, Aphrodite Urania Apatura, 1st-2nd century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/22/gold-medallion-from-gorgippia/): Medallion from a funeral wreath with an image of Aphrodite Urania-Apatura with two Erotes and a scepter from Gorgippia necropolis [burial 54], 1st-2nd century. Diameter 4.3 cm [Е.М. Алексеева]Collection: Krasnodar Historical and Archaeological Museum-ReserveAn almost identical silver medallion comes from the same necropolis [burial 10]; diameter 3.6 cm. Lit.: M. Treister, Synkretische Göttinnen auf dem Schmuckwaren der ersten nachrischtlichen Jahrhunderten aus Phanagoreia und Gorgippia und einige Beobachtungen zur Ikonographie des Aphodite Ourania im Kimmerischen Bosporos https://www.academia.edu M. Treister, Gold Funeral Wreaths of the Bosporan Kingdom 4th c. BC – 5th c. AD. (genesis and chronology of the main types) https://www.academia.edu… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gold medallion from Gorgippia, Aphrodite - Urania - Artemis, 1st century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/22/gold-medallion-from-gorgippia-aphrodite-artemis-1st-century-d-b/): Gold medallion with a stamped image of the syncretic deity Aphrodite-Artemis from a burial of a child, 1st century CE. Diameter 4.5 cm The female semi-figure with two Eros and a scepter can be interpreted as Aphrodite Urania (the necropolis of Gorgippia gave several similar images on identical gold and silver medallions). Under the bust of the goddess, there are two animals [dogs?] what distinguishes this medallion from similar ones and allows to connect the image with the cult of Artemis. Medallion was found in the box that also contained bronze bracelets and brooches, a long wooden case with traces… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Polychrome necklace, 1st century BCE, Kuban [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/22/polychrome-necklace-1st-century-bce-kuban-d-b/): Polychrome necklace. Gold, garnet, chrysoprase, rock crystal, agate, chalcedony, almandine.Second half of the 1st century BCE.Peschanyj Barrow, excavations by A.M. Zhdanovsky 1979Collection of the Museum in Krasnodar Valentina Mordvintseva, Barbarians of the North Pontic Region and Their Contacts… In: Cojocaru, V. – Rubel, A. (ed.), Mobility in Research on the Black Sea Region. Cluj-Napoca 2016. (Pontica et Mediter-ranea VI). P. 381-432.https://www.academia.edu
- [Necklace with garnets, 1st-2nd century [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/20/necklace-with-garnets/): https://restituzioni.com/opere/collana-in-oro-e-granati https://www.academia.edu/5539046/Collana_in_oro_e_granati_da_Adria
- [Gold necklaces with the miniature bottles, 5th-4th century BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/20/gold-necklace/): https://www.tripadvisor.it/Attraction_Review-g1056428-d2283985-Reviews-Museo_Archeologico_Nazionale_Di_Tarquinia-Tarquinia_Province_of_Viterbo_Lazio.html#/media-atf/2283985/707136705:p/?albumid=-160&type=0&category=-160
- [Gold necklace, 5th-4th century BCE, Sardinia [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/20/gold-necklace-5th-4th-century-bce-sardinia-d-b/): Gold necklace from the tomb no. 87, Carthaginian necropolis of Monte Luna, Senorbì, Sardinia. Punic period, 5th-4th century BCE.Very rich jewel with a “mesh” chain [foxtail chain] made of intertwined gold threads. The pendant is composed of an 8-petal rosette and a sort of granulated acorn. It may have been produced in Magna Graecia, probably by goldsmiths from Taranto. Collection: Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cagliari Related literature:Louis Nebelsick, 2024; From Witaszkowo/Vettersfelde to Šūš/Susa (without leaving the Museumsinsel). Foxtail chains and pendent tassels as décor of elite bowmen´s quivers in the mid-first millennium BC https://www.academia.edu
- [Necklace from Yemen, 2nd century BCE [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/05/11/necklace-from-yemen/): Yemeni archaeological researcher Abdullah Mohsen reported on July 24 2023, that a 2,200-year-old Yemeni necklace made of gold with carnelian and amethyst beads is for sale in New York City, USA. Necklace had previously been offered for sale at an auction on February 23, 2021: “the property of a respected man, from his private collection that was formed in the years 1965-2020; this collection was verified against Interpol’s database of stolen works of art.” The necklace consists of spherical agate beads interspersed with grained gold beads, in addition to six double-faced gold pendants surrounding the central pendant, which is in… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Hellenistic golden belt with rams' heads [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/04/07/hellenistic-golden-belt-with-rams-heads-d-b/): Zebrałam tutaj informacje na temat hellenistycznych złotych pasów z medalionami i głowami barana. Nie jestem pewna ile ich jest, dwa albo trzy. Wszystkie pochodzą z prywatnych kolekcji na Ukrainie, skąd zostały ukradzione w 2006 i przewiezione do Hiszpanii. Jak rozumiem, dwa pasy zostały odzyskane przez Hiszpańską policję. Jeden z pasów został w Madrycie zbadany i dokładnie opisany [zobacz plik PDF poniżej]. Here I collected information about Hellenistic gold belts with medallions and ram heads. I’m not sure how many there are, two or three. They all come from private collections in Ukraine, from where they were stolen in 2006 and… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Jewelry from Ukraine recovered in Spain](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/04/07/jewelry-from-ukraine-recovered-in-spain/): Police in Madrid recovered [in 2023] 11 pieces of gold artifacts worth over 60 million Euro, belonging to the historical heritage of Ukraine, which were stolen and illegally exported for sale in Spain. In cooperation with the Ukrainian security services, agents arrested five people – two Spaniards and three Ukrainians – on suspicion of money laundering and forming a criminal network involved in the illegal trade of cultural goods from this country.The jewels, which were part of the collection presented at an exhibition in the Kiev museum in 2009–2013, illegally left Ukraine before May 2016. After the exhibition, the works… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Aplikacja "sfinks" ze scytyjskiego kurhanu, 4 wiek pne.](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/04/06/aplikacja-sfinks-ze-scytyjskiego-kurhanu/): Cztery złote blaszki zostały znalezione w 1898 roku w kurhanie nr 2 w pobliżu wsi Pastyrskie, rejon Czerkasy, Ukraina [с. Пастирське Черкаської обл.]. Ich kształt zamyka się w kwadracie o boku 3,8 cm. Wybite w blaszkach otwory służyły do przyszycia ornamentów do ubioru lub nakrycia głowy. Four gold ornaments were found in 1898 in barrow No. 2 near the village of Pastyrskie, Cherkasy district, Ukraine. Their shape is almost a square with a side of 3.8 cm. Holes punched in the plates were used to sew ornaments to clothing or headgear. 4th century BCE Dla porównania scytyjska złota blaszka z… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Sarmatian round brooches of the 2nd-3rd century of the Great Hungarian Plain](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/03/24/sarmatian-round-brooches-of-the-2nd-3rd-century-of-the-great-hungarian-plain/): Istvánovits Eszter, Kulcsár Valéria: Egy újabb fibulavariáns az alföldi szarmatáknál / A new brooch variant in the material of the Sarmatians of the Great Hungarian Plainhttps://www.academia.edu “The brooches dealt with in this study belong to disc fibulas with domed plate cover, to a special subgroup. Their main characteristic is the plum seed- or drop-shaped glass inlay. The plate cover was fixed to the base with a special tin-lead alloy. This is a rare type of disc brooches presently known from three sites of the Sarmatian Barbaricum.[…]These pieces were also attributes of the female costumes.”
- [Flint](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/03/17/flint/): Flint, a widespread mineral with a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale has been used by man since prehistory as a material for making tools, weapons and for starting fire. This stone has a very nice conchoidal fracture, comes in white, brown and black colors. In addition to its practical function, it has also been used as an amulet since ancient times. Gold amulet with a flint arrowhead; 2.4 x 1.4 cmEtruscan, 500-400 BCE to compare 4th century BCE Etruscan shark’s tooth mounted in gold
- [Palmyra, relief of Hessed, 2nd C  [Damascus Museum] [d/b]](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/02/21/palmyra-relief-of-hessed-2nd-c-damascus-museum-d-b/): Funerary relief of Hessed, 200-273 in the Damascus Museum, C 12ḤESSED DAUGHTER OF BAR‘ATHE 190-235 [Tanabe 1986: Pl. 351] This relief is different, Hessed wears a headband. Traces of polychrome, looks like of the red underpaint mostly. Rubina Raja, Signe Krag, Unveiling female hairstyles: Markers of Age, Social Roles, and Status in the Funerary Sculpture from Palmyra Pictures: 2. П.С. Павлинова https://planetguide.ru/academy/entry/1147/ 3. https://www.tourister.ru/ 4. https://www.farsnews.ir
- [Damascus Museum - group portraits](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/02/19/damascus-museum-group-portraits/): – sarcophagi, banquets
- [Sarmatian brooches from Hungary](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/02/18/sarmatian-brooches-from-hungary/): Eastern Hungary. Disc brooches with pressed sheet metal decoration and central glass inlay from the Sarmatian region. Th. Becker / M. Scholz, Eine Scheibenfibel aus Hungen-Inheiden (Lkr. Giessen) und die Besatzungen der numerus-Kastelle am Taunus- und Wetteraulimes in severischer Zeit. Festschrift für Barbara Pferdehirt. RGZM Monogr. 100 (Mainz 2014) 169-196 https://www.academia.edu Madaras Halmok. Disc brooch decorated with glass mask from the women’s grave 162
- [Damascus Museum collection - female portraits](https://colorsandstones.eu/2024/02/17/damascus-museum/): The Museum in Damascus on-line collection >> https://virtual-museum-syria.org/damascus/greco-roman-collection/

## Pages

- [Perfume and scent bottles](https://colorsandstones.eu/perfume-and-scent-bottles/): Ancient perfume, scent / oil bottles, containers with magical / medical contents. Hellenistic, Sarmatian, Scythian. Magna Graecia, Black Sea Region, Eastern Mediterranean.
- [Sarmatians](https://colorsandstones.eu/sarmatians/): Brooches in the Costume of the Sarmatian Age Population in the Crimean Piedmont and the Great Hungarian Plain, Anastasiya Stoyanova The earliest period of settlement of the Sarmatians in the Carpathian basin dates back to the end of the 1st – the beginning of the 2nd century. The chronology of this phase is debatable. Wide distribution of brooches among the Alföld Sarmatians [Great Hungarian Plain]By the middle of the II century – given the relatively small number of burials of this time – brooches are becoming widespread. So, as in the earlier period, these are mainly Roman types. With the… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [« Palmyra »](https://colorsandstones.eu/palmyra-2/): DATABASE: COMPILATIONS:
- [« Black Sea Region »](https://colorsandstones.eu/black-sea-region/): Black Sea Region database >> Black Sea Region entries >> BY REGION / COUNTRY BULGARIA GEORGIA ROMANIA UKRAINE
- [Kyrgyzstan, the Krasnyi Stroitel Site in the Chuy Valley](https://colorsandstones.eu/kyrgyzstan-the-krasnyi-stroitel-site-in-the-chuy-valley/): “WEAPONS, ADORNMENTS AND ELEMENTS OF COSTUMEFROM THE “KRASNYJ STROITEL” SITE IN THE CHUI VALLEY OF KYRGYZSTAN”Yu. S. Khudyakov, K. Sh. Tabaldiev, A. Yu. BorisenkoDOI: 10.17746/1563-0102.2015.43.1.061–072 [ОРУЖИЕ, УКРАШЕНИЯ И ПРИНАДЛЕЖНОСТИ КОСТЮМА С ПАМЯТНИКА «КРАСНЫЙ СТРОИТЕЛЬ» В ЧУЙСКОЙ ДОЛИНЕ КЫРГЫЗСТАНА] The Chüy [Chui] Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%BCy_Valley “The article presents the analysis of finds from the destroyed “Krasnyj stroitel” site by the side of the Ala-Archa River at the northern skirts of Bishkek in the Chuy Valley of Kyrgyzstan. In this place where the city dump is situated, the school children stumbled across a few valuable artifacts, including the golden and silver objects. The functional purposes,… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [The Third Golden Man from Shilikti, Kazakhstan. Baigetobe burial mound, 8th century BCE](https://colorsandstones.eu/the-third-golden-man-from-shilikti-kazakhstan-baigetobe-burial-mound-8th-century-bce/): After an article https://yvision.kz/post/142726 The burial of the first “Golden Man” of Kazachstan was found in 1969-70 in Issyk, the second one in 1999 in Araltobe, and the third one in 2003 in Shilikti. The 3rd Golden Man, the Saka king. 8th C BCE. He was 37 years old. Finds from the Baigetobe burial mound, the 3rd Shilikti necropolis, the Saka period: “A total of 4,303 gold items were found in Baigetobe settlement of 3-Chilikty cemetery. 153 of them are in the form of a mask of a deer, 36 in the form of an eagle, 20 in the form of… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Saka era Eleke Sazy burial complex, East Kazakhstan](https://colorsandstones.eu/saka-era-eleke-sazy-burial-complex-east-kazakhstan/): page in progress “The golden treasure of the ruler of the Saka era was found in the East Kazakhstan region” https://tengrinews.kz/news/zolotoy-klad-pravitelya-sakskoy-epohi-nashli-v-vko-413117/ In the burial ground of Elek Sazy in the East Kazakhstan region, archaeologists have found a golden treasure. The artifacts were discovered by a group of scientists from the Kazakh National University led by archaeologist Professor Abdesh Toleubayev. A total of 850 gold items were found, including fragments of a parade horse harness of the ruler of the Saka society. According to scientists, the treasure belongs to the Middle Saka time – to the 5th-4th century BCE. “The treasure… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Taldy-2 barrow, Karkaraly region, Kazakhstan. 7th-6th century BCE](https://colorsandstones.eu/taldy-2-barrow-karkaraly-region-kazakhstan-7th-6th-century-bce/): page in progress In 2010, in the Karkaralinsky district of the Karaganda region, near the village named after Kasym Amanzholov, the team of Arman Beisenov completed excavations of the burial ground of Taldy II. During the expedition seven burials of the Tasmola culture of the early Iron Age were explored. Two graves were empty, but the others were identified as of three man and one woman. Among the finds are 1800 gold scales used to decorate clothes, over 21000 small gold beads, plaques and rings, 14 bronze arrowheads, 150 stone pendants of various shapes. Also near the remains were found… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
- [Gandhara sculptures. The most interesting examples + sources](https://colorsandstones.eu/gandhara-sculptures-the-most-interesting-examples-sources/): Hariti / Tyche, 2nd century relief, Hadda, Afghanistan Tyche Ardoxsho. 2nd century CE, Tape Shotor, a monastery near Hadda, Afghanistan(Photo: Courtesy of Katsumi Tanabe) “The participation of Roman artisans is attested to by an extremely realistic rendering of Heracles/ Vajrapani image (Fig. 27) and that of Tyche/Ardoxsho(Fig. 28), both made of clay, excavated from Tape-Shotor in Hadda” THE DIONYSIAC IMAGERY FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN TO GANDHĀRA Tadashi Tanabe http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/archaeological/PDF/2_V8_20.pdf Bodhisattva Maitreya holding a reliquary, schist sculpture, 3rd century, Kushan period, Pakistan / Afghanistan. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au 2nd-3rd century, Kumgangsu Bodhisattva Of all Gandharan art depictions of Bodhisattva are my very favorite. Sculptors inspired… Read More »Belt buckles in high relief – notes
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