The mysterious 'no piercing' of 3500 year old jewel

The jade seal is so beautifully carved that some details can only be seen clearly under the ultra-sensitive camera lens.

Archaeologists at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Ohio, USA, discovered a finely carved agate jewel that could change the entire history of ancient Greek art. This jade seal was described by the team as a masterpiece, one of Greece's most beautiful prehistoric works, the International Business Times reported on November 7.

Jade seals found in the Griffin warrior tomb.(Photo: UC).

The jewel of "Pylos Combat Agate" has a width of just 3.6cm, depicting a fierce battle scene. This is the latest and most remarkable object excavated from Griffin's warrior tomb, a treasure consisting of over 3,000 artifacts that are considered the most wonderful discovery in Greece for more than half a century. The researchers found the tomb near the ancient city of Pylos in 2015.

The tomb contains the perfect preserved remains of a mighty warrior or monk Mycenae who died around 1,500 BC, burying many rare artifacts. Despite discovering the tomb two years ago, conservation experts took more than a year to clean the limestone clinging to the jade seal, thereby determining its sophisticated design.

"Seeing the image on the jewel for the first time is a very emotional experience. It makes some people cry," Shari Stocker researcher at UC shared.

"What's interesting is that the way of expressing the human body to such a level in detail cannot be found anywhere until the classical period of Greek art at 1,000 years later. This is a breathtaking discovery. item " , researcher Jack Davis also at UC commented.

Exquisite carving on the jade seal.(Photo: UC).

Due to the tiny size of the jewel, the intricate carvings depicting weapons and jewelry only become apparent when viewed under extremely sensitive camera or microscope lenses."Some of the details are only half a millimeter big. They're so small that they can't be understood," Davis said.

The jade seal features a powerful warrior with an opponent collapsing at his feet, stabbing a sword through another opponent's throat. The battle scene reminds of battles in Homer's Illiad epic about the Trojan War.

According to the team, carved images follow a familiar legend with ancient Greeks from the Mycenae and Minoa civilizations . "It seems that Minoa people have created a work that no one can imagine they can do. The work reveals their creativity and interest in the art of re-creation, especially in terms of movement and resolution. Combined with the unique characteristics, this work is extraordinary , " concludes Davis.