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Gold pearl

The beads were probably used as links in one or more necklaces that were worn around the neck or on the wrist. The other parts of the necklace could be made of other materials. In 1963, Haberland documented a necklace at the Chilaite site (Isla Ometepe) consisting of three tubular tin beads, 2 resin beads, 50 greenstone beads and 306 clay beads (Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg, Postenbuch, No. 84.9: 139). Snarskis (1985: 32, Fig. 13) presents a necklace from the island of San Lucas (Golfo de Nicoya) whose elements consist of bone, tooth and an avimorphic gold figure. Over 3000 gold beads were found in grave 11 at the Conte site (450-900d.C.). They probably belonged to several necklaces and a beaded belt. Ethnohistoric sources from the 16th century show that necklaces were worn by both sexes in Panamá (Hearne and Sharer 1992: 110). (Künne 2005)

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
Gold pearl
Dimensions
Diameter: 0,6 cm
Length: 1,4 cm
Diameter: 0,8 cm
Weight: 3,8 g
Material/Technique
Gold
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 34231

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    700 - 1520
    where
    Costa Rica
    Guanacaste
    Bagaces
    La Virgen
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    American Archaeology

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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