Object Description
Ca. AD 600-700
A stunning matched pair of Byzantine gold earrings, each comprised of a hinged and elongated hoop attached to a triangular-shaped plaque with an openwork filigree decoration. Suspended below are four chain dangles with intricately decorated gold bead finials. Repaired.
The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than 1,100 years from the founding of its capital, Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), in AD 330 to the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks in AD 1453. The Byzantine Empire was the successor of Rome in the eastern Mediterranean and was justly famous for the elegance of its jewellery, whether in precious metals for empresses and aristocratic women, or in bronze for people further down the social ladder. Given the nature of the material, these beautiful earrings may once have adorned the ears of a Byzantine noblewoman. They date from the end of the Early Byzantine Period (AD 330-800).
Size: L:58.5mm / W:16.6mm ; 9.89g