Pendant with Bee

Gold plated pendant with bee.

Since prehistoric times, people have recognized the nutritional value of honey. In art the presence of the bee is strong in jewelry, gold tiles or in representations on vases and coins.

The insect is inextricably linked to the goddess Artemis and particularly to her temple in Ephesus (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), whose priestesses were called “Bees”. At the same time, the bee was established as one of the emblems of the ancient city of Ephesus and is consistently depicted on monetary types from the end of the 7th century BC. According to Porphyry (About the den of nymphs in the Odyssey), the priestesses of the goddess Demeter in Eleusis were also called “bees”.