Mycenaean Lady fresco, Acropolis of Mycenae, 13th century BCE (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)

The Odyssey is a story that has been told and retold for nearly 3,000 years. Even today, the tale continues to speak to new generations. How can an ancient story — or an ancient object — still feel so relevant?

Most of us cannot relate to a ten-year journey home from war, full of gods and monsters. Yet we can understand the power of connection to home, to family, and to the people we love.

For me, jewelry is one of the most tangible and immediate ways to feel that connection between the ancient world and our own lives. A piece of ancient jewelry is evidence of our shared humanity: the desire to adorn ourselves, seek protection, preserve memories, honor others, and be seen.

Fragments of gold jewelry and beads, Troy, 2500-2200 BCE (Istanbul Archaeological Museum)

The Odyssey mentions jewelry only a few times, but even those brief references are fascinating. In Book 18, Penelope's suitors are trying to persuade her to remarry, believing Odysseus will never return. They compete for her favor by offering her precious gifts: gold brooches, a choker, and a gold necklace with amber beads that "shone like sunlight."

We may not think of amber as especially precious today, but in the ancient world it was a luxury material. Much of the amber found in Mediterranean jewelry came from the Baltic region of northern Europe and traveled great distances through extensive trade networks. Rare and luminous, it was valued by cultures throughout the ancient Mediterranean for centuries.

Scholars have suggested that the beaded necklaces and bracelets depicted in this wall painting represent amber. Known as the Mycenaean Lady fresco, it comes from the ancient site of Mycenae, the legendary home of Agamemnon and one of the great centers of Bronze Age Greece evoked in Homer's epics. Excavations at the site uncovered large quantities of amber beads alongside gold and semiprecious stones.

Close up of Mycenaean Lady fresco, Acropolis of Mycenae, 13th century BCE (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)

Amber continued to be prized long after the Mycenaean era, as seen in this later Etruscan necklace.

Amber and gold pendant necklace, Etrusco-Italic, 550-450 BCE (J. Paul Getty Museum)

The piece of jewelry in The Odyssey that interests me most is the gift of earrings. One of Penelope's suitors presents her with a pair of earrings featuring "triple clusters like berries" suspended from each.

This style is found in ancient Greek jewelry, but it belongs to a much wider Mediterranean tradition. Tiny spheres or granules of gold were gathered into clusters resembling mulberries, grapes, or other fruit – forms often associated with prosperity and abundance.

Gold earrings with clustered spheres, Roman, 2nd–3rd century CE (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

These forms appear in jewelry across a wide geographical area, from Mesopotamia to Greece, Cyprus, and the Roman world. The details changed from place to place and century to century, but the essential design endured. Finding this familiar style in The Odyssey reminds us how close the ancient world can still feel — especially through jewelry.

Continuing the Tradition
The Mari Earrings are my own continuation of the ancient design described in The Odyssey. Handmade in 22k gold, they are named for similar earrings from the 13th century BCE found at the Mesopotamian city of Mari. This style traveled, changed, and reappeared across cultures and centuries. That continuity is what draws me to it. I find it remarkable that a small gold earring can connect us across thousands of years, from the world of Homer to our own.