Bracelet with Isis Bust Finials

Finials in the form of busts of the goddess Isis decorate the ends of this gold bracelet.  The figure on the left wears a Uraeus headdress; that on the right wears a Hathor headdress. Originally worshipped only in Egypt, Isis and her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean in the Hellenistic period. The goddess was the focus of a mystery cult which promised a better afterlife to its initiates.

In the Hellenistic period, gold made available by new territorial conquests flooded the Greek world. Combined with social and economic changes that created a wealthy clientele with a taste for luxury, this availability led to an immense outpouring of gold jewelry to meet the demand.