Bronze Age rattle pendant, wheel amulet with sun barque

This replica is based on an amulet pendant from the hoard discovered in 1861 in Charroux (Allier), France. The finds date from between 900 and 800 BC.

Our craftsmanship & scope of delivery

Each pendant is created in our own workshop using the elaborate lost wax casting process (cire perdue) – a technique that was already known in the Bronze Age. First, the model is crafted in wax with great attention to detail, then embedded in a mould and cast in real bronze. After casting, each piece is finished, cleaned and refined by hand. As a separate mould is created for each pendant, every piece is a unique item full of character and not an industrial mass-produced product.

This replica is exclusively available from us and has been crafted with particular attention to historical authenticity. The pendant is made of solid bronze and comes with a matching leather cord and a certificate detailing the historical classification of the find – carefully packaged and ready to wear.

The symbolism of the Bronze Age

The sun – depicted as a wheel, cross, star or circle – is the great symbol of the European Bronze Age. It appears on everyday objects as well as on the most precious prestige objects. Sometimes it is pulled by horses, sometimes accompanied by water birds, sometimes reduced to its purest geometric form. It stands for light, order, cycle and renewal – for life itself.

This detailed replica combines several central motifs from the Bronze Age imagination: a wheel-shaped sun amulet rests above a stylised sun barque, whose bow and stern are designed as water birds. Below it swing crescent-shaped rattling pendants, which lend the piece movement and sound – a vivid reminder of its ritual significance.

The sun on the barge

In many Bronze Age cultures in Europe, the sun was thought of as a celestial body travelling across the firmament on a ship. During the day, it travels across the sky, and at night it crosses – invisibly – the underworld or the primordial sea, only to reappear in the morning. The sun barque symbolises this eternal cycle of becoming, passing away and returning.

Water birds – mediators between worlds

The stylised birds on the bow and stern represent creatures that connect the sky, water and underworld. Water birds move between the elements: they fly in the sky, glide over the water and dive beneath the surface. In Bronze Age symbolism, they were regarded as mediators between the spheres – as companions to the sun on its journey between day and night.

Crescent-shaped pendants

The movable, crescent-shaped discs complement the symbolism of the sun with the rhythm of time. Their gentle tinkling when moved is reminiscent of the ritual dimension of such jewellery – jewellery was not only decorative, but also an expression of status, belief and cosmic order. In many cultures, the clattering and tinkling of jewellery or instruments was associated with a protective effect that was supposed to ward off evil influences or spirits.