Gold necklace Greek, South Italian, Tarentine late 4th–3rd century BCE

• Title: Gold necklace
• Period: Early Hellenistic
• Date: late 4th–3rd century BCE
• Culture: Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
• Medium: Gold
• Dimensions: 3 1/8 × 1/2 × 16 in. (8 × 1.3 × 40.6 cm)
• Collection：MET

The ribbon of intricate linked chains is decorated with a central medallion of Dionysos flanked by other pendant ornaments. It is not a true necklace but a hormos (collar) that was pinned to the clothing across the chest.

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This necklace is built from a finely woven system of gold chains—one broader band and one narrower strand—working together to create a structure that is both soft and controlled. It fastens at the back, sitting naturally on the body rather than being fixed to clothing.

Across the surface, small round medallions punctuate the chains, some marked with star-like or vegetal patterns. At the center, a larger medallion carries the head of Dionysos.

He is the Greek god of wine, vine cultivation, fertility, and ritual celebration. His presence here is unusual. In Greek jewelry, especially pieces worn by women, male figures are rare, and Dionysos is one of the few who appears.

This has to do with what he represents. Dionysos is closely associated with growth, transformation, and the natural world—grapes, vines, and all things that ripen and change. That connection continues in the rest of the piece. Along the lower edge, small pendants hang freely, some shaped like  berries, introducing a quiet movement that echoes those same ideas of vitality and abundance.

Nothing here feels rigid. The woven structure holds everything in place, but the surface remains alive—with small shifts, light, and motion.