International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Perica Špehar
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
Archaeological Finds of Late Medieval Crescent Earrings in Serbia
Besides those types of medieval jewellery that are based on the prototypes that dated even 
from (pre)Roman times and that were modified and accepted in Slavic cultures through Byzantium, 
the presence of ancient heritage in the Balkans is likewise fully reflected by the appearance of the 
so called crescent earrings. The presence of ancient and Byzantine forms in medieval jewellery 
was punctuated many times and very well studied. However, when it concerned the courses of 
further research, it is necessary to aim the attention toward the narrowly defined matters of the 
employment, production and regional characteristics of certain adornments.
Therefore, on this occasion we will make an attempt to shed some light on the presence of 
some late types of lunula earrings within an archaeological material from Serbia, which are dated 
to the last decades of the 14
th
and to the 15
th
century. The available material is relatively scarce, 
when considering its quantity (about 30 known earrings), but it is versatile by its morphological 
characteristics, production techniques and decoration style. It affords certain basis for establishing 
chronological contexts of their appearance. Besides, the intention is to observe the importance of 
these finds within the image of entire material heritage of the late Middle Ages in said area.
Although they are just one segment of relatively rich archaeological assets, as the indicative 
type the lunula earrings completely follow the courses of development of the epoch they belong. 
Namely, beside the fact that they mirror the aesthetic criteria and technical knowledge, these objects 
can be observed as the manifestation of social and economic circumstances during the period of 
the last envigouring of Serbian state, before the final establishing of Ottoman rule. These earrings 
are mostly made of precious metal, and according to the position of graves, inside which they were 
discovered (especially in regard to the churches), as well as to the fact that they are found in the 
hoards of precious objects, it seems that they were used by wealthier members of society. Medieval 
written and pictoral sources testify likewise that the jewellery was the manifestation of status and 
prestige. Especially interesting question relates to the heraldical and symbolical function of earrings, 
because some exceptionally luxurious pieces with the representation of the two -headed eagle as 
well as the monograms, which can suggest to some very noble users, maybe even the members of 
the royal family.
On this occasion we will demonstrate certain regional characteristics within central, 
western and eastern Balkans, based on the distribution of lunular and some other types of late 
medieval earrings. Thereby, some observations impose that can be compared with the data in Late 
Medieval archive documents that make clear distinction between Serbian, Bulgarian, Latin, even 
the Walachian earrings, the production of which obviously depended on the specific taste of the 
ambiance. When considering the workshops, the present level of research makes it difficult to 
come out with valid assumptions. Therefore, our knowledge has to be upgraded by the cognitions 
about the technological, physical and chemical characteristics of said earrings in wider area, which 
certainly must be the further step in future investigations.

---

522