Mesopotamian bead necklace, 1st millennium BC. Fayenza... Lot 25

Mesopotamian bead necklace, 1st millennium BC. Fayenza and carnelian. Measurements: 48 x 2,5 x 1,5 cm. Necklace made of carnelian and faience beads from Mesopotamia. Carnelian and faience, along with lapis lazuli and gold, were the most commonly used elements in the jewellery of Mesopotamia, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (present-day Iraq) that is known today as the 'cradle of civilisation', the site of the legendary Garden of Eden. Precious stones such as carnelian and lapis lazuli were imported from Anatolia, Egypt and Persia. Men and women wore necklaces, and multi-strand carnelian necklaces, ankle bracelets, silver hair rings, gold medallions, cylindrical seals and amulets were popular. A variety of metallurgical techniques such as embossing and granulation were developed.