A Group of Jewellery from Diyarbakır Archaeological Museum

In this article, we present a selection of previously unpublished metal jewellery (decorative pins, fibulae, bracelets, neck rings, and earrings) housed at Diyarbakır Museum, where they were acquired by requisition or purchase. The objective of this study is to evaluate these jewellery items with common characteristics as a group and to provide a chronological assessment based on comparative typological analysis in reference to ancient Near Eastern jewellery. This contribution furthers our knowledge about the archaeological record of the Upper Tigris basin in southeast Turkey, where Diyarbakır province is located. All categories of jewellery items examined in this study show typological variability in sub-types and exhibit stylistic diversity. The majority are made of bronze, while fewer are gold-plated or made of gold, silver or iron. Jewellery items vary in terms of manufacturing technology, as well: toggle pins are produced by lost wax (cire pérdue) technique; fibulae and bracelets are made by casting; and earrings and metal neck rings are made by hammering. Decorations are executed as incised patterns in linear style. Figurative adornments of toggle pins, fibulae, bracelets, and neck rings bear testimony to the high level of craftsmanship that their makers had achieved. These artefacts from Diyarbakır Museum, like most known jewellery in the archaeological record, must have been used as grave offerings or worn as items of personal adornment, amulets or accessories for garments. Based on comparative analysis, the 47 jewellery items in Diyarbakır Museum examined here are dated to the Early and Middle Iron Age.