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INTRODUCTION
dilerentandlargelyunknownaspectsoflifeofancientcommunities,reflectingceremonial
orreligiouspracticesnotnecessarilyassociatedwithpower.Agoldleaf-formdiademfrom
a3rdmillenniumBCgravefromTellArbidinSyria,interpretedasreflectingthepersonal
statusofadeceasedyoungwoman,isastartingpointforthediscussiononthevarious
meaningsofthediadems.
Ritualpracticesperformedbyasmallruralcommunityofthesecondhalfofthe3rd
millenniumBCcanalsobetracedatasettlementinTellRadShaqrahinSyriawhereafew
childburialswereaccompaniedbysetsofzoomorphicshellpendants.DariuszSzeląg
presentsanddiscussesthisassemblageofveryspecificadornmentsthatweremostprobably
usedinritualsexpressingspecialcareoverchildren.AccordingtoSzeląg,theseadornments
hadanapotropaicvalueandwereprobablybelievedtohavebeenelectivebothduring
lifetimeandintheaferlife.Teyseemtobeassociatedspecificallywithchildrenwho
couldnotbeprotectedinthesamewayasadults.Temannerinwhichthesependants
wereusedinchildburialsatotherMesopotamiansitessuggeststhatvariouscommunities
mayhavehelddilerentviewsconcerningtheirapotropaicpowersinparticular,andthat
thependantsmighthavebeenperceivedasamuletsrepresentingpowersofnaturein
general.AsinsomeoftheconclusionsreachedbyAmirGolaniregardinguseofcowry
shells(seeabove),althoughthezoomorphicpendantsweresometimesmadeofmaterials
otherthanshell,itappearsthattheformandnotnecessarilythematerialwasregardedas
potentprotection.
EleonoraCarminatianalyzesthetransitionfromtheKura-AraxestotheBedeni
cultureoftheChalcolithic-EarlyBronzeAgeinthesouthernCaucasus(mid-4th-
3rdmillenniumBC)asreflectedintheirjewelryassemblages.Whilemoststudieshave
treatedeachoftheseculturalphenomenaseparately,Carminati)scontributionmeritsnote
becauseofitsfocusonthetransitionalperiodbetweenthesetwocultures.LikeHorn)s
article,Carminatiusespersonaladornmentstodemonstratecognitivelinksbetweenthe
successivecultures,indicatinganalogiesinthechoiceofformsandtechniques.However,
shealsohighlightscleardilerencesinthechoiceofrawmaterials,theintroductionof
innovativetechniquesandnewformsaswellasthedilerentiatedcontextofthefinds.
Carminati)sresearchindicatesthatthetransitiontotheBedeniphasewascharacterized
byamarkedsocialstratificationinwhichjewelry,itsmaterials,formsandmanufacturing
techniquesbecamesignificantstatussymbols.
JewelryasameasureofculturalinteractionishighlightedinthearticlebyMagda
PieniążekandEkinKozal,whodiscussdilerentaspectsrelatedtojewelryfunctionand
origin,withaspecialfocusonbeadsandpinsfromwesternandcentralAnatolia.Duringthe
2ndmillenniumBC,westernAnatoliawasaccessedbyeasternMediterraneantradeand
wasinfluencedbytwoverystrongculturalentities:theHittitesintheeastandtheMinoans
andtheMycenaeansinthewest.Jewelryisshowntohavebeenasensitivebarometertothe
changingintensityandimportanceofconnectionswiththeseculturesthroughtime.Te
distancefrommaritimetraderoutesandthepoliticalsituationthatimpactedonaccess
torawmaterials,appeartohavehadagreatinfluenceonthedilerentiatedrepertoireof
personaladornmentsofthecoastalandinlandAnatoliansites.Teauthorssuggestthat
thepopularityofmetalornamentsfrominlandsettlementsasopposedtomuchmore
15
PAM23/2:SpecialStudies
