Junyi Wu, College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2026


"No actress of mimes shall wear gems...of course we do not forbid them to wear...gold without gems on their necks, arms, and girdles."  ----Justinian I 593CE

This quote was attributed to the peasant-born Emperor Justinian I, and it focuses our attention specifically on the significance of gems. This necklace was decorated with sapphires and emeralds and was made in the 500s or 600s CE. This timeframe corresponds with the Early Byzantine Period and was marked by the reign of Justinian I, during which time the empire prospered in political power and wealth. Nevertheless, the time between 500 and 700 was not a short one and certainly not a stable one. The eastern border of the empire witnessed constant conflicts with border kingdoms and ethnic groups.

Justinian was eager to using luxury artistic objects to ascertain his position as the imperial ruler. In 593 CE, he announced that the gemstones should be preserved for the use of imperials. The limitation of gemstones for members of the ruling class was one of the ways he secured his image as emperor.  One can imagine that this necklace could have been made either before Justinian's decree, in which case a non-imperial owner would have had to hide the sparkling jewels, or afterwards, in which case we can assume its owner was a member of the ruling class.