In Hellenistic times, jewelry often passed from generation to generation as family heirlooms. And occasionally, it was dedicated at sanctuaries as an offering to the gods. There are records of headdresses, necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches, and pins in temple and treasury inventories, as, for example, at Delos. Hoards of Hellenistic jewelry that were buried for safekeeping in antiquity have also come to light. Some of the best-preserved examples, however, come from tombs where jewelry was usually placed on the body of the deceased. Some of these pieces were made specifically for interment; most, however, were worn during life. In the early Hellenistic period, wealthy Macedonians buried their dead with elaborate gold jewelry. However, by late Hellenistic times, rich burial goods were less common. This modification most likely signals a decrease in disposable wealth and, perhaps, a change in burial customs.
En la época helenística, las joyas a menudo se pasaban de generación en generación como recuerdos de familia. Y de vez en cuando, se dedicaban como una ofrenda a los dioses en santuarios . Existen registros de tocados, collares, pulseras, anillos, broches y alfileres en el Templo y los inventarios de tesorería, como, por ejemplo, en Delos. Las acumulaciones de joyería helenística que fueron enterradas para su custodia en la antigüedad también han salido a la luz. Algunos de los ejemplos mejor conservados, sin embargo, provienen de tumbas donde la joyería se colocaba generalmente en el cuerpo de la persona fallecida. Algunas de estas piezas fueron hechas específicamente para el entierro, la mayoría, sin embargo, fueron usados durante la vida. En el periodo helenístico temprano, macedonios ricos enterraban a sus muertos con joyas de oro elaborado. Sin embargo, a finales de la época helenística, los ajuares funerarios ricos fueron menos comunes. Esta modificación fue probablemente, una señal de disminución de la riqueza disponible y, tal vez, un cambio en las costumbres funerarias.
Ring with head of Herakles, late 4th–3rd century B.C.; Hellenistic
Greek – Gold – 63/64 x 47/64 in. (25 x 18.7 mm)
Ganymede Jewelry, Hellenistic, 330–300 B.C.
Greek – Gold, rock crystal, emerald
L. of necklace 13 in. (33 cm), H. of earrings 2 3/8 in. (6 cm), W. of bracelets 3 1/8 in. (8 cm), W. of fibulae 1 15/16 in. (5 cm), H. of ring 13/16 in. (2.1 cm)
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937 (37.11.8–.17)
Bracelet with central medallion, Hellenistic, 2nd century B.C.
Greek – Gold, glass – Diam. 3 7/16 in. (8.7 cm)
Purchase, The Concordia Foundation Gift and Marguerite and Frank Cosgrove Jr. Fund, 2001 (2001.230)
Hinged ring, 2nd–1st century B.C.; Hellenistic
Greek – Gold with garnet – H. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm)
Purchase, Patricia and Marietta Fried Gift, 2005 (2005.278)
- Necklace and earrings, Late Hellenistic, 1st century B.C.
Greek – Gold, garnet, agate
L. of necklace 15 in. (38.1 cm), L. of earrings 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
Purchase, The Bothmer Purchase Fund and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1994 (1994.230.4–.6)
Pair of armbands, Hellenistic, ca. 200 B.C.
Greek – Gold
Rogers Fund, 1956 (56.11.5–.6)
The Madytos Jewelry, ca. 330–300 B.C.; Hellenistic
Greek; Said to be from Madytos – Gold
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1906 (06.1217.1-.13)
- The Madytos Jewelry, ca. 330–300 B.C.; Hellenistic
Greek; Said to be from Madytos – Gold
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1906 (06.1217.1-.13)
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