Rare 3,500-year-old Bronze Age gold jewellery unearthed in Aegina

Researchers have found a stunning collection of gold jewellery from the Middle Bronze Age at the Kolona site on the Greek island of Aegina. These artefacts were officially announced on April 22, 2026, by the Greek Ministry of Culture, dating back to the first half of the second millennium BCE. This discovery provides researchers with significant new information about the elite identities of the ancient Aegean and their trade networks.

The 2025 excavation at the Kolona site, conducted by the University of Salzburg in partnership with the Austrian Archaeological Institute, unearthed a cohesive grouping of gold pendant beads and carnelian ornaments that most likely made up a high-status necklace. This discovery further highlights Aegina’s ancient position as a key player in the larger Mediterranean trading system. This significant archaeological finding underscores the island’s historical prominence, illustrating the intricate craftsmanship and far-reaching economic connections defining Bronze Age society. These exquisite relics offer invaluable insights into the sophisticated material culture of this distant, vibrant historical era.

Bronze Age gold jewellery unearthed on the hill of Kolona in Aegina

During excavation of a significant, large stone-built structure just outside the Middle Bronze Age defensive walls, the excavation revealed evidence that the area had been disturbed and the stratigraphy changed; however, eight bipartite disc-shaped pendants, one disc-shaped pendant, seven biconical gold beads, one cylindrical gold bead, eight gold leaf ornaments, and seven spherical carnelian beads were found in very good condition as noted in the release by Greek Ministry of Culture.In addition, 12 fragments of copper and a needle/pin indicative of a possible burial were found, but no evidence of any skeletal remains has been discovered.

Evidence of Aegina’s role in Bronze Age Mediterranean trade

Researchers have discovered remarkable similarities between recently discovered objects and the controversial so-called Aegina Treasure, a collection of prehistoric gold and semi-precious stones found on Aegina that was illegally exported to the British Museum in 1892. The resemblance between the design of disc-shaped pendants reinforces a hypothesis that Aegina was at the centre of a very extensive trade and artistic exchange network. The fact that some of the materials used in the objects, such as carnelian, were from areas outside Aegina suggests that the people of Aegina were part of an extensive long-distance trading system that extended from mainland Greece to the Cyclades and to Minoan Crete.

Why the artefacts remained on Aegina

The excavation at Kolona is being led by Professor Alexander Sokolicek and is under the supervision of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands. The excavation has seriously challenged many of the existing theories and interpretations associated with Kolona.

While the Temple of Apollo at Kolona has traditionally been recognised as dating back to the 6th Century BCE, this find demonstrates that Kolona has been used as a prehistoric community, a sacred site, and an ancient acropolis. Therefore, the authorities have decided to leave the artefacts in Aegina in order to facilitate further study; this means that the site will continue to serve as an important reference for the understanding of settlement patterns along the Saronic Gulf over the years.