Pendants

suspended ornaments attached to clothing, harness, and utensils. Made of bone, wood, shell, and metal, they also served as amulets.

The oldest pendants originated in the Paleolithic Age and were made of animal teeth and shells. The Bronze Age saw the dissemination of pendants with a magical significance, associated with cults of the sun and moon. These were round pendants representing the sun; lunulae, crescent-shaped ornaments; and zoomorphic pendants, which were survivals of totemism. Pendants used in Rus’ between the tenth and 13th centuries included lunulae and pendants in the shape of horses, waterfowl, household objects, and weapons. Bells and other noise-making pendants that supposedly frightened away evil spirits were found among many peoples.