Read About This Ancient Pendant

This large pendant (almost five inches long—pretty big for jewelry!) was carved from amber around 600 BCE. That’s over 2,600 years ago! An Etruscan artist made it in Etruria, a region north of Rome in ancient Italy. At that time, the Etruscans were powerful rulers controlling much of central Italy, including Rome itself. An Etruscan king even ruled Rome during this period!

The pendant shows a three-dimensional wooden merchant ship carrying seven people. These rounded-belly ships were built to hold tons of cargo for trading. They sailed along Italy’s coast and across the Mediterranean Sea, carrying goods to trade with other places. But sailing back then was seriously risky business—shipwrecks happened all the time! Merchants expected to lose cargo, and sailors had to be experts at reading winds, ocean currents, and the stars to navigate safely.

Six sailors with round faces and short hair sit in the middle of the ship. Three face each side, sitting back-to-back. The seventh person—maybe a passenger or the ship’s captain—sits higher up toward the stern (that’s the back of the ship). He has a long beard and hair and is shown in profile. He leans against a rectangular cabin and appears to be holding a sack. You can see the seventh person in the detailed pictures below. The pendant has three holes drilled into it (one at each end and one in the middle between two sailors) so it could be worn on a cord.

Look at the Pendant from Different Angles

Read About Why the Pendant Was Made

What did this ship symbolize? We’re not entirely sure! It might have represented sea travel in general, or perhaps a merchant’s amber trade specifically. Maybe it was carved to celebrate a successful voyage or to remember a particularly dangerous journey. Some people think it could symbolize a journey to the afterlife. Or perhaps the owner just loved the famous stories from Homer’s Odyssey, where the hero Odysseus sails home across the Mediterranean after incredible adventures, bringing back a cargo full of gifts.

Whatever the story, this pendant was likely an amulet—an object with magical powers meant to protect the owner. Amber was considered extra special because of its unique qualities: it reflects light and can look liquid or glow like fire; it becomes warm when you hold it; and it can even float in water! The ancient Roman writer Pliny the Elder believed amber could heal people and protect them from harm.

In ancient times, magic, religion, and medicine were all connected. People believed they needed supernatural help during major life events and transitions—things like birth, marriage, travel, and illness. Amulets could protect against specific dangers or provide general defense against sickness and bad luck. People carried them, wore them as jewelry, hung them in homes and shops, and even placed them in tombs as burial gifts. Some amulets needed special chants or prayers to “activate” them, while others (like amber) were thought to have natural powers all on their own.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• What exactly is a pendant?
• This pendant was “carved.” What does that word mean? How would you carve something?
• What material do you think someone used to carve this pendant?
• What details can you spot carved into this tiny ship?
• There are seven sailors shown on the ship. Can you find them all? (Hint: You might need to check out images from different angles!)

A golden-orange gemstone made from ancient tree sap that hardened over millions of years.

A special piece of jewelry or object people wore to protect them from bad luck or danger.

A region north of Rome in ancient Italy; things from this region are referred to as “Etruscan.”

A famous ancient Greek story-poem about hero Odysseus’s long journey home after the Trojan War. It was told orally for centuries and then written down by about 700 BCE. Attributed to the poet Homer.