Tiny, round and flat mysteries

Some of the compartments in the middle of this necklace are decorated with sets of pendants. The upper pendants are modeled hemispherically, while the lower pendants are shaped rather thin and flat, just like discs or tiny coins. When researching the history of the Ancient Near East and this specific motif, it becomes clear that circular discs are a widespread phenomenon. They occur in multiple different locations and various periods in time. Even today, these circular discs are not out of fashion. When looking for contemporary jewelry online, this type of pendant comes up again and again.See on Etsy However, just like today, not every pendant disc was the same in the Ancient Near East. All of these discs share certain similarities, for example their circularity and thinness, but local decorations could be added or left out altogether. Because of all these different contexts, it is rather difficult to pin-point a specific significance for these pendants.