Lydian earrings - Small size

Theses earrings with a very pure design must be older than Croesus, whose name alone is still flowing with gold and precious stones.

It was the most sumptuous of the kings of Lydia, a very ancient kingdom of Asia Minor, bounded on the north by Mysia, on the west by the Aegean Sea, on the east by Phrygia and on the south by Caria. from which he was separated by the Meander River.

This jewel was discovered in a tomb of the region of Sardis, the ancient capital of Croesus, along with two similar pendants but much smaller - one has the appearance of a ring, the other of a molded disc.

They were to be worn on the chest, as in the island of Cyprus, in the sixth century. We can not specify their symbolic meaning, which remains mysterious.
Lydia was independent and prosperous until 548. That year, Croesus was defeated by Cyrus the Great and his country became a mere province of the Persian Empire.