A BACTRIAN GOLD 'CRESCENT MOON' HAIR ORNAMENT
Ancient region of Bactria, Kushan period or earlier, 100 BC-100 AD. The gold hair ornament consisting of a larger and a smaller crescent moon-shaped element as well as two leaf-shaped elements, all cut out from gold foil, the larger crescent moon with a gold loop on the reverse. This piece likely comes from Tomb VII or VIII at Tillya Tepe, as these tombs were not excavated due to civil war and later raided by the Afghan population and distributed among their families.

Provenance: Private collection of a German artist and collector living in Southeast Asia, assembled over decades through purchases in Mazar-i-Sharif and at the Afghan market in Peshawar.
Condition: Good condition with minor traces of age and wear, some minor bending and creasing.

Weight: 3.7 g
Dimensions: Length 5.7 cm

Literature comparison: Similar pieces are published in Baktrisches Gold: Aus den Ausgrabungen der Nekropole von Tillya-Tepe in Nordafghanistan, page 82, Aurora Kunstverlag Leningrad 1985.