Phaistos disc

73.00

This charm is an exact replica of the famous and mysterious Hephaestus (Phaistos) disc. The Hephaestus disk is a slice of lime clay from the Phoistos Minoan palace on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dated to the Middle or Late Minoan Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It was found in 1903 and is about 15 cm in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols.

Handcrafted in Sterling silver 925 at our workshop in Athens.

Material

Sterling silver 925

Description

This bead is an exact replica of the famous and mysterious Hephaestus (Phaistos) disc. The Hephaestus disc is a disc of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dating till middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It was found in 1903 and is about 15 cm (5.9 in.) in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols. Its purpose and meaning remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. The inscription was apparently made by pressing sing pre-formed hieroglyphic “seals” into the soft clay, in a clockwise sequence spiralling towards the disc’s centre. It was then burned at high temperatures. The unique character of the Phaistos Disc stems from the fact that the entire text was inscribed in this way, reproducing a piece of text with reusable characters, 3200 years before Johann Gutenberg. This unique object is now on display at the archaeological museum of Heraklion/ Crete