A Greek hiker found a 6,500-year-old gold pendant in
a field and handed it over to authorities, an archaeologist said Thursday.
By COSTAS KANTOURIS
Associated Press Writer
Foto: An undated handout picture showing a 6,500-year-old gold jewel that has been picked up in a northern Greek field by a hiker who handed it over to authorities, an archaeologist said in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006 . (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)
The flat, roughly ring-shaped prehistoric pendant probably had religious significance and would have been worn on a necklace by a prominent member of society.
Only three such gold artifacts have been discovered during organized digs, archaeologist Georgia Karamitrou-Mendesidi, head of the Greek archaeological
service in the northern region where the discovery was made, told The Associated Press.
"It belongs to the Neolithic period, about which we know very little regarding the use of metals, particularly gold," she said. "The fact that it is made of gold indicates that these people were highly advanced, producing significant works of art."
She said the pendant, measuring rough 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches, was picked up last year near the town of Ptolemaida, about 90 miles southwest of the northern city of Thessaloniki. Karamitrou-Mendesidi is to present the artifact at a three-day archaeological conference that opened Thursday in Thessaloniki
Greek police confiscated a hoard of 33 similar pieces of hammered gold jewelry from smugglers in
1997.
The woman who found the pendant did not want a reward and wished to remain anonymous, Karamitrou-Mendesidi said.
Similar finds have been excavated in modern Turkey Bulgaria
Around 4500 B.C., when the pendant was made, Greece
In November, archaeologists announced the discovery of two prehistoric farming settlements dating back as early as 6000 B.C. in the Ptolemaida region.
The settlement digs uncovered burial sites, clay and stone figurines of humans and animals, pottery and stone tools.
Another 25 prehistoric settlements have been found in the area.
Rare pendant sheds light on Neolithic period. Gold artifact ‘comes from advanced society’
A 6,500-year-old gold pendant, found by a hiker in a field near the northern town of Ptolemaida
By Costas Kantouris - The Associated Press
The flat, ring-shaped prehistoric pendant is a rare find in Greece
Police confiscated a hoard of 33 similar hammered gold jewels from smugglers in 1997.
“It’s very important that it comes from the Neolithic period, about which we know very little regarding the use of metals, particularly gold,” Karamitrou-Mendesidi, head of the archaeological service where the discovery was made, told AP.
She said the pendant was picked up last year near the town of Ptolemaida Thessaloniki
Measuring 4 by 3.5 centimeters (1.6 by 1.4 inches), the pendant probably had religious significance and would have been worn on a necklace by a prominent member of society.
“The fact that it is made of gold indicates that these people were highly advanced, producing significant works of art,” Karamitrou-Mendesidi said.
Similar finds have been excavated in Turkey Bulgaria
Around 4,500 BC, when the jewel was made, Greece
In November, archaeologists announced the discovery of two prehistoric farming settlements dating to 6,000 BC in the Ptolemaida region. The sites include human burials, clay and stone figurines of humans and animals, stone seals, pottery and stone tools.
“These figurines are impressive as they are remarkably faithful in their representation of the human figure,” Karamitrou-Mendesidi said.
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