Ancient History of Earrings and Jewelry Facts

• Earrings have been around since 2000 - 3000 B.C.  
• 1st Archaeological evidence of earrings dates back to Iraq, from the Persian Empire    
• Popular among Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Assyrians   
• Two specific types of earrings worn: Pendants and Hoops  
• Symbolized wealth, honor, social or class status and personal/political identity.   
• Pendants with gemstones were commonly worn during the Roman Empire   
• Earrings were usually worn by men in ancient times

 

 

Greece - Gold Earrings

 1-2nd Century B.C.

Greece - Gold Earrings

16th century B.C.

Roman - Amethyst Gemstone Pendant

212 AD

 

Syria - Gold Earrings

11th century

 

Iran - Gold Wire Earrings 11-12th century

Further Resources:

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jewellery - Wikipedia

Is Jewelry Gendered?

Is Jewelry 'gender specific'? What Type of Men Wear Jewelry? For What Purpose? 

Men and women both wore jewelry in prehistoric times for symbolic reasons. Men, especially rulers and wealthy folk, wore jewelry to emphasize control, money, power, and honor. Handcrafted pieces were constructed differently for each gender and crafted from multiple fabrics, metals, and ornaments (charms, pendants). 

Wearing certain pieces of jewelry reflected an individual's social rank and class status. In this case, warriors and rulers wore head dresses, special garments, and jewelry to emphasize 'male honor.' 

 

Currently, there are many native societies around the world where both men and women wear jewelry to reflect their traditional rituals (puberty, passage into adulthood).  Warriors within the Naga culture of India wear large necklaces to symbolize honor in killing, or 'headhunting'. Necklaces are constructed of animal skulls, fur, brass rings, and feathers. Other native cultures in Indonesia and the Philippines dress themselves with rings and large 'red hornbill' earrings.

In this modern era, is hyper-masculinity causing men to rethink about wearing large hoops, earrings, and bracelets?

Further Reading:

"Jewelry and Gender," Thesis Paper by Rebecca Ross Russell

Ancient Jewelry Discovery Prehistoric Rings

What is History of Jewelry? 

Where did it come from? Who wore it and did it have a special meaning? Did ancient civilizations mold their own beads? What tools did they use? How did ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Aztecs, or the Byzantine Empire handcraft their jewelry pieces? Whatever happened to these pieces? 

In 2013, a group of archaeologists from Tel- Aviv University uncovered several ancient jewelry pieces from a prehistoric site near Apollonia-Arsuf in the Middle East. Pieces included coins, gold jewelry, and small bronze rings.

The items were initially 'thrown out' by the prehistoric natives who tossed them in large dump pits. The reason for this is unknown. 

Archaeologists dated these pieces to the 5th and 7th centuries C.E. Is there any special meaning to this jewelry? 

Interestingly enough, one of the bronze rings that was discovered has an inscription on it that translates to: "Adonai is his name." The article suggests that this particular bronze ring is an unusual finding and quite rare indeed!

Further Reading:

Article Link