Ancient Gold Pendant of a Pea Pod. Cypro-Phoenician, 7th–6th century BCE.

An Ancient Gold Pendant in the Form of a Pea Pod

Cypro-Phoenician, 7th–6th century BCE

Dimensions: 2.3 × 0.9 × 0.5 cm

Weight: 1.4 g

A delicate gold pendant comprising five aligned spherical elements, evoking the form of a pea pod. Such pendants, arranged either vertically or horizontally, are known from several sites across the Mediterranean, most notably from Tharros on Sardinia. While their exact symbolic significance remains uncertain, their consistent form and recurrence suggest an amuletic function, possibly associated with fertility, protection, or abundance.

Provenance: Private English collection, assembled between the late 1970s and early 1990s.

Comparable examples: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 74.51.3317 and 74.51.3316.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/242751

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/242750