Greek art, which flourished in the Greek city-states, is considered to be the cradle of European art and culture. Rome had relatively little artistic importance in its early centuries, but with the establishment of the Roman Empire under Caesar Augustus (63 B.C. – 14 A.D.), a golden age of art and a blending of Greek and Roman cultures began. The third saga of our mystical journey takes us through the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. Their influence on art, and especially jewelry, has continued to the present. Greek art and jewelry styles of the Orientalizing Period (700–600 B.C.), the Archaic Period (600–480/479 B.C.), the Classical Period (480/479–323 B.C.), and the Hellenistic Period (323–31 B.C.) will be covered. The importance of gold as a material, its optical effect and the astute technique of handling it moves us into the Roman Empire as we continue our magic carpet ride through the history of jewelry.

Author: Dr. Ardeshir Dabestani