People have been making and wearing jewelry since ancient times: the age of the earliest shell beads is 75 thousand years. Originally, primitive materials such as feathers, stones, and dried flowers were used as accessories. Then, metals, and later, alloys were used. As time went by, jewelers began to make more and more sophisticated and skillful adornments, jewelry works of art.
One of the most ancient jewelry pieces is a temple ring which has been known since the Bronze Age. They were attached to a band or a strap near the temples one pair at a time or several pairs at a time, and sometimes they were just woven into the hair. One ring weighs 24.07 grams, about the same weight as a teaspoon. Headbands with several pairs of temple rings were quite heavy.
Temple rings are found in many archaeological cultures among different peoples. Archaeologists find beaded temple rings in the European part of Russia, Central Asia, Western Siberia. Each tribe had its special form of rings. For example, women of the Slavic tribal union of Vyatichi wore rings with seven petals, and the northerners made them in the form of a spiral. Three-bead temple rings, which are found in Western Siberia, were also used by Dregovichi.
Temple rings are found mainly in the graves of young women. Other types of rings are found in the graves of young girls and older women.
The rings still raise a lot of questions among scientists. Scientists believe that jewelry made of precious metals was found in these places due to trade between the local population and the Kama river people. And the jewelry was made by Kama, Russian and Bulgar craftsmen.
Three-bead temple rings, displayed at the exhibition “Ugra Heritage” are made by casting, filigree, and silvering techniques. They were found during the excavation of the archaeological monument Kintusovskoye 4 in upstream of the Bolshoy Salym river. The age of these rings is about 500 years. Probably, the temple rings from the museum complex funds belonged to a wealthy young woman from a princely family of the medieval period.
One of the most ancient jewelry pieces is a temple ring which has been known since the Bronze Age. They were attached to a band or a strap near the temples one pair at a time or several pairs at a time, and sometimes they were just woven into the hair. One ring weighs 24.07 grams, about the same weight as a teaspoon. Headbands with several pairs of temple rings were quite heavy.
Temple rings are found in many archaeological cultures among different peoples. Archaeologists find beaded temple rings in the European part of Russia, Central Asia, Western Siberia. Each tribe had its special form of rings. For example, women of the Slavic tribal union of Vyatichi wore rings with seven petals, and the northerners made them in the form of a spiral. Three-bead temple rings, which are found in Western Siberia, were also used by Dregovichi.
Temple rings are found mainly in the graves of young women. Other types of rings are found in the graves of young girls and older women.
The rings still raise a lot of questions among scientists. Scientists believe that jewelry made of precious metals was found in these places due to trade between the local population and the Kama river people. And the jewelry was made by Kama, Russian and Bulgar craftsmen.
Three-bead temple rings, displayed at the exhibition “Ugra Heritage” are made by casting, filigree, and silvering techniques. They were found during the excavation of the archaeological monument Kintusovskoye 4 in upstream of the Bolshoy Salym river. The age of these rings is about 500 years. Probably, the temple rings from the museum complex funds belonged to a wealthy young woman from a princely family of the medieval period.
