Phoenicia was a civilisation originating from the Levant, the people of Phoenicia spoke a Semitic language and purposed jewellery, as in many ancient societies, to mark social status, wealth and privilege. Ornamental objects such as glassware, including beads and pendants like this fine example, were a favourite of the Phoenicians.
Rod-forming is a method of glass manufacture, developed from the earlier core-forming method originating in Mesopotamia in the mid 2nd Millennium BC. Instead of a central core attached to a metal rod, molten glass was worked around the tip of the rod itself. This method was mainly used for the production of small and narrow objects such as beads and pendants, like this fine example.
