Jewelry made from precious metals has been found especially in graves from civilizations dating to periods in which it was customary to bury the dead together with their possessions. Among them, women’s jewelry in particular constitutes a rich and varied group. Important centers of jewelry making were established in Anatolia in this period when jewelry of superior workmanship, especially gold jewelry, was produced. Jewelry in which religious motifs were employed for protection again spells, malice and the evil eye has also been found in excavations. Developing relations among the various civilizations and interaction between the cultures of East and West ensured that new designs were produced based on these older models.

A MARK OF WOMEN’S STATUS
Silver jewelry is more often observed among the traditional people of Anatolia. This jewelry, which is worn from birth to death and sometimes passed down from generation to generation, has been the material and spiritual mainstay especially of women over the centuries.