In the first half of the nineteenth century, remarkable finds were made in burial mounds on the north coast of the Black Sea: Greek vases, wooden sarcophagi and a great deal of gold. The jewellery was associated with the elaborate funerary rites in the local settlements, and has been dated to between the 7th and the 1st centuries BC. The gold jewellery placed on or near the deceased proved to have been exceptionally well preserved - from fragile olive wreaths to beautiful ear pendants, necklaces and ornaments to be worn on the head.
These pIeces were given a place in the treasure rooms of the Winter Palace, now the State Hermitage Museum, in St Petersburg. This book presents the highlights from this collection for the first time, discussing the archaelogical survey which took place in the Northern Black Sea region in the nineteenth century, the history of the ancient Greek settlers of the Northern Black Sea coast, their technique of making jewellery, and the various different cultural centres and burial sites in the Northern Black Sea region. It is illustrated in full-colour throughout with stunning reproductions of these exquisite pieces of Greek gold
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