Armenian jewelry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Armenian jewelry is a part of Armenian culture, decorative arts, and includes the nation's historical style, tastes and aesthetics. Jewelry was used by Armenian men and women since ancient times and mostly earrings, necklaces, hairpins, rings, chains and pins were worn.[1] Jewelry had not only practical and aesthetic value, but also contained symbolic meaning and messaging. The shapes, materials and patterns of the jewelry were connected to the folk beliefs and national lifestyles.[2]
Armenian jewelry dates back to the Urartian period (9th-8th centuries BC). It was produced as Urartu's civilization developed in the Bronze and Iron Ages of ancient Armenia.[3] On the Adilcevaz-Teisheba relief jewelry artifacts of Urartian origin were found, such as bronze statues, various belts and votive plaques. Those were the evidence of socio-economic development and class differences in the Urartian society.[4]
Besides the written sources, chest jewelry on clay salt containers and ornaments that were carved on stone idols from the 19th to the 20th centuries were discovered during the archaeological excavations in Dvin.[1] In addition to this, archaeologists revealed that the tools, products and manufacturing techniques used in jewelry-making were in use in Armenia during the Bronze age.[1] Jewelries were passed down from father to son as a heritage, and each social group had the right to wear a specific type of jewelry. Even though there were some limitations of what types of jewelry could be worn by a specific social group, Armenian people of all classes, including kings, queens, soldiers, nobles, adults and children, wore jewelry.[1]
