When we speak of an object as “ancient”, it is always relative. The culture that produced these fascinating faience appliqués was already old and forgotten when this coin with its extraordinary portrait was minted. And though the coin too is from a distant time, the face of Antiochus seems young, fresh and eager. What this particular necklace most evokes is something older than any surviving artifact, a passion as ancient as civilization itself—the love of adornment.