Hair and Fingerrings

Material: Gold

Date: 1st quarter of the 2nd millennium BCE

Origin: Pecs, Komitat Baranya (Hungary)

This display presents a collection of finely crafted gold rings from the Early Bronze Age, discovered in the region of Pecs, Hungary. These small, coiled ornaments—some tightly wound and others shaped into loops or spirals—served both decorative and ritual purposes. They were used as hair rings or finger rings, adorning individuals in life and possibly accompanying them in burial as offerings.

The arrangement and craftsmanship of these items suggest they were highly valued, functioning as both jewelry and as units of exchange in trade or ritual contexts. Bundled together according to specific weights, they may have served as a primitive form of currency or as symbolic deposits representing wealth and social status.

Museum label reference:

Golden hair rings were both female adornments and votive offerings. Hooked together in bundles according to certain weights, they represented units of value in exchange.

Original Text:

“Goldene Lockenringe waren sowohl Frauenschmuck als auch Opfergut. Nach bestimmten Gewichten in Bündeln zusammengehakt, stellten sie im Tauschverkehr Werteinheiten dar.”

Taken on  Tuesday 06th of August 2019

Device: Google

Model: Pixel 3 XL

Tags:  bronze age | currency | finger ring | germany | gold | jewelry | money | museum | neues museum | rings

Genre:  1st quarter of the 2nd Millennium BC