Cleveland Museum of Art

Woman's Belt Hanger (Zone)

Date

c. 725–675 BCE

Medium

bronze

Culture

Greece, Geometric period

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The shape and punched and incised decoration of this northern Greek triangular-shaped zone (woman’s belt hanger) may symbolize a woman’s procreative anatomy, with groups of small circles flanking a large central radiating circle. An ornament of this type was found in a woman’s grave positioned directly over the pelvic bone, and could have been worn suspended from or attached to a belt made of less durable materials. Ancient bronze objects often have a greenish hue due to a chemical reaction that creates this surface patina.

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