Pendant with a rounded spindle-shaped bead.


Glass, Persia, 8th century.

 

Weight 7 g 

Length 30 mm

 

The jewellery is based on a translucent greenish biconical glass bead with 8 rounded facets. It has a beautiful icy texture. The condition is very good. These beads are most commonly found in archaeological complexes of 8th century AD Persian origin.

 

Persian beads from the 'golden age' of the Abassid dynasty were widely known in the antiquities of the Byzantine period in the Balkans. The Persian school of glasswork inherited an earlier Roman tradition. By adopting the sophisticated techniques of Roman mosaic technique, the Persians introduced their own very special understanding of colour and colour combinations. This made Persian beads popular in the vast territory of the ancient world, from Britain to Trans-Ural, for more than 300 years.

 

 

A bit about the history of the ancient Balkans:

 

 

In the ancient times, the Balkans were part of Moesia and the Dalmatia provinces of the Roman Empire. For 600 years, starting from the 1st century AD, the territory that is now Central Serbia was part of the Moesia province of the Holy Roman Empire.

 

The territory of today's Montenegro was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The main city of this region was Docklea, founded circa 100 AD not far from modern Podgorica.

The most important Roman road, Via Militaris, passed along the valleys of Sava, Morava, and Timok rivers.

In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium. After the Roman Empire split in 395, the entire Balkan peninsula, excluding Dalmatia, became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire.

 

From the the beginning of the 5th century numerous Slavic tribes start settling in the Balkans. During Emperor Justians rule, the Byzantine Empire reaches the peak of its power. At the end of the 7th century, the Turki arriving from the North of the Black Sea region establish the First Bulgarian Empire.


item #21КБ