Malia_Pendant
Malia Pendant
Minoan artefact
The Malia Pendant is a gold pendant found in a tomb in 1930 at Chrysolakkos, Malia, Crete.[1] It dates to the Minoan civilization, 1800-1650 BC. The pendant was excavated by French archaeologists and was first described by Pierre Demargne.[2][3] The pendant is commonly called "The Bees of Malia."
The pendant takes the form of two insects, which are identical (mirror images) joined head-to-head with the tips of their abdomens almost touching in a symmetrical or heraldic arrangement. The insects’ wings spread backwards. From the lower edges of the wings and a point close to the tip of the abdomen dangle three discs. With their legs, the insects are "grasping" a centrally placed circular disc and there is a second, smaller, smooth globule placed above this and between the insects' heads as if they were eating it.[2][3] The Malia Pendant is on display at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, on the island of Crete in Greece. It is probably the single most famous piece of Minoan jewellery.