Mesopotamian Necklace with Serpent Amulet

Culture: Mesopotamia

Period: 3rd-1st millennium B.C.

Material: Clay, Glass, Hardstone

Dimensions: 72 cm long

Price: Sold

Ref: 6068

Provenance: Austrian private collection Heide Ramadan, acquired between 1970 and 1990.

Condition: Intact

Description: Restrung necklace with ceramic, glass and stone beads in different sizes and forms, among them Roman melon beads and 3000 year old agate beads. The necklace is completed by an important, possibly Sumerian stone amulet (3rd millennium B.C.), where an engraved serpent winds around the cylindrical body. Typical are the round, convex eyes. The snake cult goes back to the 8th millennium B.C. in Mesopotamia. The animal winds itself around its spine, and possibly has apotropaic functions. Snakes were feared, but were also popular guard figures. For symbolism see: Birgit Kahler, “Schlangendarstellungen in Mesopotamien und Iran vom 8. bis 2. Jt. v. Chr.: Quellen, Deutungen und kulturübergreifender Vergleich“. Disserta Verlag.