Goldfunde aus dem Artemision von Ephesos

The gold objects derive from the excavations carried out between1965 and 1994 in the Artemision of Ephesos by the Austrian Archaeological Institute. Most of the objects occurred in strata located under the Archaic kipteros and may thus be classified as originating from the second half of the seventh or the first half of the sixth century BC. They were deposited in the sanctuary as votive gifts. The vast majority are dress ornaments and jewellery, either worn directly on the body or sewn onto clothing such as appliqués or pieces of sheet gold decorated with a variety of motives, spherical and drop-shaped pendants and beads (some of which look like fruit), pins with floral heads, fibulae (predominantly of Phrygian ´Asia Minor´type), brooches in the shape of birds of prey and boat-shaped earrings with, in some cases, elaborate decoration. There are also some figurines which are definitely worth of note such as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes. The Artemision is unique in the Archaic period with regard to the amount and variety of gold jewellery found there: No other sanctuary from this period has yielded a similar wealth of gold objects. By including an examination of most of the gold objects from the English excavations in the sanctuary (1904/05) it has been possible to add to the amount and variety of gold jewellery known to have exited.