There may be wonderful jewelry pieces in museums all over the world, often displayed in galleries focused on fashion and accessory.
But you may spot intriguing jewelry pieces also in archaeological museums: ancient civilisations often produced beautiful decorative pieces to adorn the body to indicate rank and status, conjure spirits, evoke ancestors, and accompany the dead. Jewelry pieces found in burial sites give us a glimpse about the life of the buried person wearing them, but also reveal us the beliefs of some ancient civilisations regarding death and the afterlife.
There is an exhibition focused on Sardinia, that has been on tour since last year and that is currently on in Thessaloniki, Greece (it will then move to Naples - from June to September), and that includes some rare jewelry pieces and accessories from the Neolithic and the Nuragic cultures.
"Sardinia, Megalithic Island. From Menhirs to Nuraghi: Stories of Stone in the Heart of The Mediterranean" is first and foremost an architectural event as it explores the ancient megalithic structures of this island in the heart of the Mediterranean and in particular the Nuragic culture.
The exhibition starts from the late Neolithic, a period characterized by chamber tombs cut into limestone rocks, known in the Sardinian language as "domus de Janas" ("homes of the fairies or witches"), and by dolmens.
There are a few notable examples of jewelry from this period of time in the exhibition: a bracelet that seems to have the consistency of bones but it is actually made with spondylus shell and that was found in the area of Oliena and can be dated back to the Middle Neolithic; a Bell Beaker culture necklace found in Capo S. Elia dating from the Late Neolithic or Chalcolithic, like the bone and shell necklace found in Li Muri. These pieces are notable for the materials they were made with but also for the symmetries between beads that create visually pleasing effects.
Architecture-wise the exhibition then moves onto the Nuragic civilisation, known for the nuraghi, one of Europe's great mysteries, ancient megalithic edifices found exclusively on this Italian island.
Built in huge numbers from around 1600/1800 BC onwards with blocks of basalt, trachyte and granite, with a variety of forms and functions but all sharing the same design of towers with tholos (corbelled roof - the exhibition also includes a rather unusual button shaped like a nuraghi...), have been the focus of important debates and interpretations that have identified their multiple functions: food storage, farming and livestock raising, control of the territory and craft production.
Megalithic architecture also characterised burials and religious sanctuaries: the so called "giants' tombs" were actually collective burials, which could contain up to hundreds of individuals and were possibly connected to the veneration of ancestors. The so-called "bronzetti",votive bronze statuettes reproducing human, male and female figures with various social roles, but also animals, objects and buildings, are an impressive testament to the religious life of the Nuragic people.
The large number of bronze statuettes offers us a rich insight into Nuragic society, comprising their clothing, body language, weapons and food systems. But also jewelry can help us providing information on this society: the presence of amber necklaces and beads, from excavations carried out over the past 30 years in many Sardinian areas, is evidence of the island's close links not only with the Mediterranean world, but also with the trade and cultural networks of mainland Italy and central Europe.
One of the necklaces on display in the exhibition and dating back to the Iron Age, was found in Su Romanzesu, an archaeological site near Bitti, in the province of Nuoro. The piece is made with amber beads characterised by a variety of shapes.
The Nuragic civilisation came to an end with the arrival of the Phoenicians, who established settlements along the coast of Sardinia from the 9th century BC, then with the conquest by Carthage at the end of the 6th century, and later on with the arrival of the Romans. Yet, even after the Roman conquest (238 BC), the Nuragic heritage remained alive, and as late as the Middle Ages, the nuraghi and even the domus de janas were still in use, and several medieval villages developed around the ancient Nuragic towers.
Myth and legend have often crossed paths with history in the interpretation of Sardinian culture and maybe jewelry designers who may be into natural materials and minimalist forms may want to explore these connections in their collections by learning more about these ancient civilisations.
Image credits for this post
1.
Neolithic Necklace
Li Muri
Late Neolithic; stone
Cagliari, National Archaeological Museum
2.
Bell Beaker Culture necklace
Capo S. Elia
Late Neolithic / Chalcolithic; bone and shell
Cagliari, National Archaeological Museum
3.
Bracelet
Oliena
Middle Neolithic; Spondylus shell
Nuoro, National Archaeological Museum G. Asproni
4.
Nuraghi-shaped button
Abini
Iron Age; bronze
Cagliari, National Archaeological Museum
5.
Necklace
Su Romanzesu (Bitti)
Iron age; amber
Nuoro, National Archaeological Museum G. Asproni
What a beautiful jewellery culture. It's worth imagining how they might have been worth then.
Posted by: Kmaustral | February 19, 2022 at 02:17 AM