Ancient Canaanite Gold Leech Earrings, Crescent Hoop Pair

Near East, Levant, Canaanite. A pair of small gold earrings of crescent hoop form, in high-purity gold of about 18 to 19 karats. Each hoop swells into a smooth, weighty lunate body at its base, then narrows sharply into a fine wire that arcs over to pass through the earlobe. The rounded crescent, often called the “leech” type, has smooth, plain surfaces, and the two were made to match closely in size and outline. Earrings like these were worn as personal adornment, and gold examples also served as portable wealth. The crescent may have carried a lunar meaning in Levantine thought, though that reading remains speculative. Crescent earrings, swelling at the base and tapering to a thin wire hook, are among the most common gold ornaments of the Bronze Age Levant. Canaanite goldsmiths of the period were known for strong work in sheet and cast gold, and they drew on Egyptian, Syrian, and Aegean influences. The plain crescent hoop stayed in use for centuries and was widely copied around the eastern Mediterranean. Item # 205345

Estimate:£602.84

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