necklace

Glass beads were manufactured in the Mycenaean region of Greece during the Bronze Age, and there was a thriving production from 1390 to 1180 B.C. To the Mycenaeans, glass was a precious material, and they made distinctive forms of beads, pendants, and appliqués in glass. The beads are unique for their period in that they were crafted in the type of flat, open molds that were often employed by the makers of gold beads. These molds produced beads with a relief design on one side only, with the opposite side remaining flat. While many such beads now have extensive weathering that conceals the true colors of the glass, they were usually found in bright blues, as can be seen on the pendants used in this necklace. Motifs for these beads included stylized rosettes, papyrus, and lilies (e.g., 66.1.193). The glass pendants in this necklace display one of the most complex designs made by the Mycenaean craftsmen: a tapering rectangular form with a rouletted motif. This distinctive style of glass beads and pendants disappeared when the Mycenaean civilization ended.