/internal/media/dispatcher/731866/resize%25253Aformat%25253DthumbnailSun-disk pectoral10th–9th century B.C.Overall: 9.3 cm (3 11/16 in.)GoldMary L. Smith Fund60.9591Sun-disk pectoral. Two outer rims of hatched dashes; eleven-pointed star with 4 bosses between each point; in center large boss whose center was depressed, apparently to take inlay. Hasp for attaching to necklace. This type of ornament, which was widely imitated and used in Iran, originated in Mesopotamia, where it was called the "shamshatu," or "sun-disk." Evoking the sun god Shamash, who was also the god of justice, it seems to have been worn as a symbol of earthly authority and of the great god's patronage.Jewelry / Adornment26746101