Comparing several pendant discs

The oldest examples, but simultaneously the most alike to our object, are the pendant discs on objects from Minoan Crete (Fig. 25 & Fig. 26). Just like the lower pendants on our necklace, these discs are tiny, thin, and are secured with a little thread, shaped like a hoop.

Apart from this excellent example dated between 3000 BCE-1200 BCE, other objects with discs from the Achaemenid Persian period can also be used to compare. These examples are decorated with some of the motifs that we have seen before. Two rings of little balls resemble the outline of the upper pendants of our necklace, while the band in the middle shows lotus flowers (Fig. 27). The other example from the Achaemenid Persian period shows the image of the Bes-head (Fig. 28).

Furthermore, in Roman Imperial times such discs were used as decoration in necklaces. In this particular case, beads are threaded on a wire and secured to the pendant discs and added as an extra ornament (Fig. 29).

Last but not least, these discs were found in Egypt, which proposes an interesting interpretation. Egyptians were well-known for their worship of the sun. The sun disc was therefore often represented in jewelry, reliefs, and in images of the gods, such as Hathor’s crown consisting of a sun disc surrounded by two horns (Fig. 30).See: Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2004. P. 137-139. This particular example shows thick edges and a single ball in the middle of the pendant (Fig. 31). The sun was not regarded as a life-giving force in Egypt only; in Iran the sun was also conceived this way.See: Kock, Gösta. ‘Some Reflections on the Problem of the Animal‐headed Gods in Egypt’. Ethnos 8, no. 4 (1 October 1943): 153–60.

Therefore, one could argue that the pendant discs in our necklace are reminiscent of the sun. However, we should take into account that this might not be the only option. These discs could also have a different meaning or purpose, for example just for embellishment. Appearance matters after all.