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Mycenean Gold - The world of Achilles

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:03 pm
by system1988
Hi all

As the year is nearing its end let us dwell into deep and metaphysical thoughts!

From Circle A of Mycenae (16th Century BC) the items you see used to accompanie the royals to their graves:

Gold floral attachments for the dresses
Gold pendants in the shape of a pomegranate, symbol of bounty, hanging from a chain
Gold pendants in the shape of a cocoon, symbol of rebirth, hanging from a chain
Gold leaf- shaped pendant with suspension wire

And for the conclusion... gold balances, believed to symbolize the weighting of the sould in the Underworld. A butterfly, symbol of the soul, is depicted on the disks. Homer states (but I cannot remember in which Iliad rapsody exactly) that the soul was weighed by the Gods of Hades...

Have a happy New Year!