Pendants were among the earliest forms of
jewelry. A copper pendant believed to have been made in Sumeria, the first
civilization, around 8700 B.C. has been found by archaeologists. In Babylonia
around the 8th Century B.C. seals that were used to sign documents by
imprinting in wet clay tablets were worn as pendants. The earliest pendants
were made of stone, but later glass and gemstones were substituted. The
Pharaohs in agent Egypt wore a type of pendant called a cartouche. The
cartouche had a rectangular shape and had the name of the Pharaoh inscribed on
it. It was supposed to protect him from evil. The ancient Greeks made gold
pendants. The Greek necklace often featured multiple small vase-shaped pendants
portraying figures of deities in Greek mythology. The ancient Romans also made
gold pendants, but they more often consisted of one focal pendant. Sometimes a
cabochon gem would be set in the gold pendant. Pendants were also worn in
ancient India and ancient China.
