Necklace pendants and beads
Unknown Artist
ca. 18th–17th century BCE
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
1 7/16 in. (3.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Ornaments
Culture & Period
Babylonian · Old Babylonian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1947
Accession Number
47.1a10.1, .2
Art Historical Context
Step into the ancient world of Babylon with these exquisite *Necklace Pendants and Beads*, around the 18th–17th century BCE during the Old Babylonian period. just 1 7/16 inches (3.6 cm), this gold ensemble from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Ancient Near Eastern Art collection exemplifies the sophistication of Mesopotamian metalwork. Acquired through the Fletcher Fund in 7, these ornaments whisper of a time when Babylon was a thriving hub of culture and power under rulers like Hammurabi. Gold, a precious and rare material in antiquity, held immense symbolic value, signifying wealth, status,...