When we examine the origins of Western civilization, the 4,900-year-old ancient Greek civilization can never be missed.
As the birthplace of aesthetics and the peak of Western art history, it has deep attainments in many fields. These include science, philosophy, poetry, architecture, drama, jewelry and mythology.
The solemn and elegant Roman temples, the romantic ancient Greek mythology, the political concepts of “freedom” and “equality” ……
Even today, these brilliant achievements continue to remain, making a significant impact on every aspect of our lives.
The ancient Greeks, who had a very high aesthetic standard, were also extremely partial to jewelry.
Ancient Greek jewelry
As early as 3000 B.C., before metallurgy was introduced to Greece, the ancient Greeks began to make jewelry out of bones, clay, shells, stones and other materials.
Later, in the Bronze Age, with the enrichment of materials and the improvement of craftsmanship, the ancient Greeks began to use gold to make necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, belts, hair accessories and other jewelry.
They used a realistic approach to plants, monsters, flowers, geometric ornaments into them, the pursuit of ultimate natural beauty, from the shape to the design, and then to the craft are excellent.
3200 BC to 2700 BC Necklace
Gold Botanical Jewelry of the Cretan Civilization of Ancient Greece c. 2300 BCE
This unique style of ancient Greek jewelry, not only inherited for thousands of years, but also in later generations of Byzantine jewelry style, neoclassical jewelry, Victorian jewelry style, Renaissance jewelry style can be found in the shadow of ancient Greek period jewelry.
Follow me through Greek art history to appreciate the different periods of ancient Greek jewelry.
Geometric Period (c. 1050 – 750 BC) and Orientalization Period (c. 750 – 650 BC):
In the 12th century B.C., the Mycenaean kingdoms fought for maritime supremacy against the countries on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The most famous was the Trojan War.
The war, which lasted 10 years, left the once glorious Mycenaean empire riddled with holes, the city of Mycenae was destroyed, and at this time, artistic creation was at a low ebb, and luxury jewelry was extremely rare.
Gold earrings and clasps 8th century B.C.
Gold necklace Late 9th century B.C.
Until the 8th century BC, under the influence of Egyptian and West Asian culture, ancient Greek art gradually recovered, forming a simple “several styles”.
Relative to the ancient simplicity of the first period, this period of jewelry style began to move towards the direction of slim, elegant development. Jewelry types are not only rich, but also reach a high level of craftsmanship.
Gold ornaments in the form of roses 7th century B.C.
Sphinx Gold Plaque 7th century BC
Although gold resources are very scarce, in Crete Knossos, south-central Greece, Corinth and Athens and other important centers, you can find many superbly crafted gold products.
In 725 B.C., artistic styles located in Greece’s eastern and northeastern regions greatly influenced Greek art. The “animal motif”, a mixture of creatures from the East, appears frequently in jewelry of this period.
Circular headdress 7th century B.C.
Pendant c. 700 B.C.
The spiral, a characteristic motif, was also widely used in rings and brooches, and later developed into the “8” motif.
Which was often used as a tribute during ceremonies and funerals.
Ancient style period jewelry (mid 7th century BC – 480 years ago):
In the middle of the 7th century BC, Greek jewelry entered the Archaic period.
Since the end of the Hippocratic War, the ancient Greeks have experienced rapid growth in the economy, politics, culture, science and technology as well as other areas of rapid growth.
The art, science, literature, jewelry, and many other aspects of deep attainment formed the foundation for the glory of Greek culture.
Gold bracelet with antelope head 4th century B.C.
Gold-covered bronze earrings in the form of eagles and vultures 5th century B.C.
During this period, due to the uneven distribution of resources, gold was scarce in Greece, and craftsmen tried to reduce gold use.
Gold was polished into thin gold sheets and covered with alloys, which promoted the development of gold processing technology.
Classical Period Jewelry (479 – 323 BC):
In 479 B.C., ancient Greek jewelry entered the classical period. Although fewer pieces of jewelry from this period survive, the design and craftsmanship are classical and of the highest quality.
The naturalistic wreath style became popular
From the 5th century B.C. onwards, the naturalistic wreath style appeared, with natural elements such as plants, flowers and animals becoming the most popular jewelry motifs of the period.
Headdress like a garland of leaves 4th century B.C.
Gold wreath Late 4th – Early 3rd century B.C.
Necklaces of this period were intricately designed. Themes such as acorns, female portraits, melons, and rose knots were extremely popular in necklaces.
Earrings with portrait motifs also appeared, and some were decorated with tassels, rose knots and other elements.
Priestess Necklace c. 350-340 BCE
Disc-shaped gold earrings circa 300 B.C.
Processing techniques have become more sophisticated.
Although gold in this period was relatively small, gold processing techniques were greatly developed because of this.
In particular, filigree work was used as a decorative motif in jewelry design during this period.
Enamel, which originated in the Mycenaean civilization, appeared in jewelry, and engraved stones appeared on rings’ bands.
Hellenistic Jewelry (323 B.C. – 30 B.C.):
The Hellenistic period, mainly from Alexander the Great’s death in 323 B.C. to the Roman conquest of the Ptolemaic dynasty in 30 B.C., was a period of development and integration in art history.
Although Alexander the Great reigned for only 13 years, he used his eloquence to conquer the East and the West. By destroying the Bath Empire, he established a huge empire spanning Asia, Europe, and Africa, with Babylon as its capital.
Garnet Double Serpent Gold Armband 3rd to 2nd century B.C.
Ancient Greek Gold Oak Leaf Priestly Wreath Late 2nd Century B.C.
In the East and West of the civilization of the fusion of collision, Greek jewelry produced with the ancient Greek period is very different from the style, exquisite and gorgeous jewelry crafts instead of the classical and simple jewelry style.
New Decorative Themes
Due to Alexander the Great’s eastern conquests and the discovery of the Thracian gold mines, the supply of gold in this period was more abundant than in any previous period, and the goldsmiths’ processing techniques were inherited and developed.
Artisans through the gold and silver filigree technology, gold granulation technology, skeletonization technology, impact convex pattern technology and other processing technology, the gold will be made into flowers, leaves, branches and other styles. The jewelry surface texture is more complex and varied, presenting an innovative jewelry style.
Bull’s head gold bracelet 250 BCE-200 BCE
Gold jewelry in the form of Hercules knots Late 4th to 3rd century BCE
The Hercules knot, an amuletic element of Egyptian origin, and the crescent moon, an amuletic element of West Asian origin, were incorporated into jewelry design. They became the most common motifs of all time.
In the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., the Greek mythological figures of Eros and Nici, the goddesses of love and victory, also appeared in jewelry designs.
Gold headdresses 250-200 B.C.
In the center of the headdress is the image of Eros, the god of love and lust in Greek mythology.
The New Decorative System
The most important technical innovation in Hellenistic jewelry was the introduction of colored decoration with gemstones and stained glass.
Ancient Greek craftsmen cut chalcedony, garnets, emeralds, amethysts, pearls and other colored stones and stained glass into small flat pieces by hand. They set them in metal, which changed the original appearance of Greek jewelry, and made the colors strălucier and bright.
Ancient Greek gold bracelet with amethyst 1st century B.C.
Gold bracelet with garnets 1st century B.C.
The sculpture style
In addition to the colored jewels set directly on the metal, gemstone carvers also simulate the sculpture style at that time on the gemstones, the use of bow diamonds, grinding discs, grinding powder and other crafts to carve gemstones, and then the top of the original diamonds for the fine carving, the level of gemstone carving is becoming more and more sophisticated.
With the popularity of colored jewels, enameling, which had already appeared on jewels during the Mycenaean civilization, was on the decline.
Butterfly dobby necklace 2nd century B.C.
Necklaces in gold with colored jewels 2nd-1st century B.C.
New Jewelry Forms
The tops of earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry of this period, often with animals or mythological figures, first appeared in the Achaemenid period. They gradually became popular in Central Asia around the 1st century BC.
Each style of jewelry is a mark of its time. With the dramatic changes in the historical environment, jewelry styles are like a walking lantern. Your side sang and I appeared on the scene.
Although the ancient Greek jewelry style came to an end, the shadow of the ancient Greek jewelry style can be seen frequently in the design and innovation of jewelry in later generations. As the saying implies, history has already gone, but classic style lives forever!
