Ornaments from Aegina 683-767

683. Gold diadem, consisting of a plain flat band of gold tapering away towards Plate VI. either end, where it terminates in a wire twisted into the form of a loop for fastening. Broken into two pieces.
691. Gold diadem in four pieces, tapering from the centre to the ends, one of which is wanting. It is decorated with a dotted pattern, consisting of two lines of returning spirals, running in opposite directions and bounded by two plain dotted lines. Nine small holes arc pierced in one end.
692. Thin gold plaque, with stamped design. The centre is a raised boss, upon Plates VI., which an cight-pctalled flower is indicated in dotted lines. Round this is a raised band with cable decoration upon it. The edge of the plaque has eight spirals placed at regular intervals. Four of these are pierced with small holes, evidently for purposes of attachment.
746. Gold pendant, composed of a lion’s head, hollow, with two upright pointed ears. On each side of the ears is a hole for a suspending ring, bordered by a plain circle of wire. The neck of the lion is ornamented with applied wire in the form of circles and tangent lines. From the lion’s head four pendants are suspended by chains attached to wire spirals. Two are in the form of flying ducks, and two are hollow, egg-shaped drops. Below the lion’s head a hollow basket-shaped object hangs on a wire, which passes through the top of the lion’s head and the bottom of the basket, being finally twisted into a spiral at each end. The basket is decorated with three pairs of ribbed lines ; from its lower part hang three pendent figures of flying ducks. An ornament in some perishable material has been lost from between the lion’s head and the basket.
752. Gold pendant, consisting of two embossed winged figures (owls .•”) suspended by chains from a biconical carnelian bead, capped with gold at each end, which has a wire loop attached to it.
753. Necklace, composed of twenty-eight biconical carnelian and twenty-five gold Plate VI. beads (the latter each covered with two rows of circular depressions), strung in pairs alternately. At each end is a small acorn in olive-green stone, capped with gold. From the necklace hangs a series of pendants, viz.: (i) Nineteen hollow pointed-oval gold drops ; (2) five hollow pear-shaped gold ornaments in the form of a right hand grasping a female breast, each surmounted by a carnelian bead, with an olive-green acorn (gold-capped) below ; (3) two ornaments in blue glass-paste (.’), also representing a right hand grasping a female breast ; these are decorated with a carnelian bead and stone acorn. The original arrangement of the necklace must be regarded as quite uncertain.
758. Necklace, composed of twenty-six pairs of double gold crescents, decorated with cable pattern and alternating with twenty-four ribbed gold beads. In the centre is placed a gold bead with small depressions as in No. 753. At each extremity is a long carnelian bead decorated with four bands incised vertically, and with a small gold bead at the end.
760. Necklace, composed of beads arranged in triple and double rows, (i) In the centre is a carnelian bead representing a r. hand clasping a woman’s breast ; (2) strung longitudinally are fourteen long biconical carnelian beads of various sizes ; (3) one hundred and ten small carnelian beads, rounder : (4) fifty-six small ribbed gold beads ; (5) two minute plain gold beads ; (6) three amethyst beads with triple perforation, resembling three biconical beads placed side by side ; (7) two pointed oval gold drops suspended from chains attached to each end of the necklace ; (8) a large rounded biconical carnelian bead. The original arrangement of the beads is quite uncertain ; probably all do not belong to one necklace.
761. Gold pendant, probably suspended just below the neck. It consists of an upper embossed curved plate with raised rims, backed by a corresponding flat plate soldered to it. At each end is a beardless head in profile. The hair of these heads is brought back in fine lines, and falls behind in two spiral curls. The eyes and eyebrows, which are long and narrow, are indicated by spaces cut out of the upper plate, and were originally filled with blue glass paste, traces of this still remaining. From the chin of each head, and from the under side of the curved plate hang ten gold disks (three partially broken), suspended by wires drawn out of the disks themselves. Above each of the heads is a small loop for suspension.
762. Gold pendant, composed of two thin openwork plates, the upper embossed and Plates Vk, the lower flat, the latter having its edges folded over the former. A male figure ‘^^^^ (legs in profile, upper part of body to ‘the front) strides to r. He wears a loincloth girt at the waist, with embroidered sash, alternately ribbed and plain, hanging down the front ; close-fitting upper garment, spiral bracelets on wrists and upper arms, and a raised crown of four feathers, surmounted by a fluted cylinder for suspension. His hair on each side of the neck ends in a boss (earring.’). With each hand the figure grasps a water-bird by the neck; the bird is turned outwards and pecks at buds which issue from two ribbed and curved branches. The branches seem to rest on two lotus-flowers, which form the terminals of a support (boat .’) on which the figure stands. A third lotus-flower is placed between the legs of tlie figure. Each flower has a boss below it and a pendent disk, ornamented by a raised dot in tiic centre and a border of raised dots. Two similar tlisks liang one on each side of the curving branches.
763. Gold pendant, composed of a penannular ring formed of two embossed plates Plate VI. secured together by the folding over of their edges. A ridge rises in the middle, the edges are decorated with oblique lines, and the hollow of the ring is filled with clay. The extremities of the ring are in the form of serpents’ heads. Within it is an openwork decoration consisting of two hounds with curly tails, standing opposite one another, with one forepaw raised. The other forepaws rest each on the head of a squatting ape, apparently engaged in munching an object held in its raised paws. The hind-legs of the hounds rest upon curved objects springing from the feet of the apes, which squat back to back. Between the raised forepaws of the dogs and a projection uniting the backs of the apes is a large carnelian bead, threaded on wire. All the figures are composed of double gold plates with their edges folded over one another. Both sides are alike. The openwork design is secured to the ring by wires fastened to holes pierced in the rim, two being connected with chains attached to the dogs’ necks. These chains are decorated with carnelian beads. From the outer edge of the ring fourteen pendants are suspended from chains, viz., seven plain disks and seven winged figures (owls .?), ‘placed alternately. Each of the chains is decorated below with a minute carnelian bead ; those which secure the birds have also a larger club-shaped carnelian bead at the top.
767. Bracelet of solid sold. It is composed of an oval band, slightly concave on the outside.