Kenchreai Archaeological Archive: KM192 (Late Roman-Early Byzantine Bronze Earring)

: KM192 (Late Roman-Early Byzantine Bronze Earring) [permalink] [show more links]
Type: Inventoried Object
Logical part of: Inventoried Objects from the Greek-American Excavations at Koutsongila
Typological identification: Earring
Comparanda: cf. Pazaras2009, p. 143, no. 9.3, pl. 184 (Epanomi, Thessaloniki, 4th–5th century)
Description: Thick wire with circular section shaped as open loop with one pointed end that could be fastened to polyhedral button on opposite end for wearing. The button has twelve sides, four rhomboid and eight triangular. The shape began as a right-angled parallelogram but the smith later reworked it into a polyhedron by filing down the eight vertices. Similar filing scratches have been observed on gold earrings of the same type (e.g., HoffmannClaer1968, pp. 130–131, fig. 85:a, b); they seldom survive on bronze.
Preservation comment: Intact but slightly broken at pointed end. Excellent condition.
Published as: Panelas2022, pp. 1083, 1084, no. 692, fig. 22.2
Diameter: 0.02
Other Dimensions: Th. loop 0.002
Other Dimensions: W. button 0.003
Belongs to Historical Period: Early Byzantine (Historical Period)
Belongs to Historical Period: Late Roman (Historical Period)
Material: Bronze (Material)
Suggested citation: “KM192 (Late Roman-Early Byzantine Bronze Earring).” In Kenchreai Archaeological Archive, edited by J.L. Rife and S. Heath. The American Excavations at Kenchreai, 2013-2025. <http://kenchreai.org/gaek/km192>