Jewellery

An outstanding pendant inspired by the ancient Greek tetradrachm.
Made of 14k gold and sterling silver 925°.
Handmade item. As in all handmade items there may be small differences in weight and dimensions and this is what makes them unique and precious.

Goddess Athena and Owl – Athenian silver tetradrachm
Dracma was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history.
The tetradrachm was an Ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to fourdrachmae in Athens it replaced the earlier “heraldic” type of didrachms and it was in wide circulation from ca. 510 to ca. 38 BC.
This coin belongs to the so-called “new style Athenian coins” minted between 166 and 64 B.C. and is considered one of the most popular ancient Greek coins which illustrate the portrait of Goddess Athena on the one side and the wisdom owl on the other. Athena is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, handicraft, and warfare.
Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens, from which she most likely received her name. She’s usually shown in art wearing a helmet and holding a spear. Her major symbols include owls, olive trees, and snakes. Her temples were located atop the fortified Acropolis in the central part of the city. The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis is dedicated to her, along with numerous other temples and monuments. Her main festival in Athens was the Panathenaia, which was celebrated in midsummer and was the most important festival on the Athenian calendar.
In the classical Olympian pantheon, Athena was regarded as the favorite daughter of Zeus. The owl traditionally accompanies Athena. Because of such association, the owl has been used as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. The inscriptions contain the city’s “national” appellation (“ΑΘΕ», i.e. “of the Athenians”).

The rosette (rose) is a timeless jewel, symbol and amulet. The origin of the term is the Greek word for rose – rodon (ρόδον). Its use began in the Mycenaean era and continues as far as the 2nd millennia BC. The Mycenaean Rosette is a motif that was widespread throughout Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and other ancient civilizations. It is inspired by a Mycenaean rosette bead, found at Mycenae, dated to 1400-1300 B.C. The rosette were used extensively in ancient Greek Mycenaean jewels, in architecture, pottery and in sculptures from 1500 BC. Mycenaean rosettes usually had 6 or 8 or 12 leaves, and sixteen leaves during the Macedonian Dynasty. Such details as the rodax shape and the number of leaves tend to vary with the era or beliefs. The rosettes were used to decorate the cloths, the belts and wreaths of the Kings. The number of leaves had a symbolic character each time. The four elements of nature (wind, earth, fire, water), the seven wonders of the ancient world or the twelve gods of ancient Greeks and the world domination and radiance of the Kings of Macedonia. They were signs of beauty, purity, eugenics, worship and power. Rosette or Rodax was probably the most popular and favorite decorative element in Mycenaean era, classical antiquity and Byzantine times.