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These temple ornaments were created in the Kingdom of Kartli (also known as the Kingdom of Iberia) nearly 2,400 years ago, when Kartli controlled most of what is now eastern Georgia. Like the neighboring Kingdom of Colchis, Kartli was famous for its mastery of goldsmithing, and these pendants are a reflection of that tradition.

Temple pendants (also known as temple ornaments) are pieces of jewelry that hang down along each side of a person's face, often covering the temples and part of the cheek. The pendants are typically suspended from a headdress, headband, or diadem. This type of jewelry is often associated with the cultures of the Near East, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe, but it has appeared in many different cultures throughout history.

These particular pendants were discovered in a cache of artifacts known as the Akhalgori treasure. They measure about 13cm long, and each pendant depicts a pair of horses in exquisite detail. The legs and ears are crafted from pieces of gold leaf, while the eyes are formed by thin gold wire; the horses are depicted with reigns, harnesses, rounded forelock tufts, and decorative saddle-cloths, and each pendant is decorated with intricate patterns of gold granulation.

As this book describes:

These temple ornaments are masterpieces of the goldsmith’s art. The finest granulation is used, and individual parts are created from fine wire and thin gold leaf. The bodies of the horses are formed by two halves soldered together. The legs and ears are made of gold leaf with details depicted in relief, and even the horses’ eyes are soldered on with fine wire.

The pendants reflect some Achaemenid, Scythian, and Greek influences, but the style and technique is still distinctly Georgian:

The form of the temple pendants — a wide plaque surmounted by a large rosette with special springs for fastening — is not found among objects from Achemenid Iran, whereas the figure of the horse, with its horse-cloth ending in a toothed pattern and drop-shaped pendants, “plumes” and harness is indisputably Achemenid. The technique employed is also Achemenid, although ornamental jewellery found in Iran does not have such rich granulation.

The temple pendants of the Akhalgori hoard are an example of metalwork fashioned in the imperial Achemenid, yet incorporating the achievements of the local metalwork schools, which can be seen in the details of the ornamentation.

Sources & More Info:

Georgian National Museum: Temple Pendants

Lost Treasures of Persia: Temple Ornaments from the 4th Century BC

Papers in Ancient Near Eastern, Mediterranean, and Armenian Studies: Achaemenids and the Southern Caucasus (PDF)

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