Cast Amulet

Weighing 22 grams, this ring idol from the Black Sea region was cast in electrum, the naturally occurring alloy of gold, silver and copper. Dating from the fifth millennium BCE, it is the heaviest of its kind. Most ring idols weigh between 2 and 5 grams. That it was cast is noteworthy. Special fuels, such as charcoal, and constant blasts of air are needed to heat gold to its melting point.

In the Bronze Age, gold became a symbol of high social rank, and it is no accident that the first hierarchical organization of society coincided with the start of metalworking. The extraction of metals and the trade in metal products led to the emergence of social classes with elitist knowledge and widespread influence. Power was increasingly concentrated in their hands.

metal: electrum

H x W x D: 2.7 x 2.2 x 0.4 cm

Text © Goldkammer