Perhaps a better reference. In any case a book worth looking at
if only for magnificent photography… it’s beautiful and fairly
reasonably priced.
“Greek Gold: Jewelry of the Classical World,” Dyfri Williams and
Jack Ogden, 1994. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. On page
44…
“Finally, there is the so-called Herakles knot. This was closely
connected with marriage. It tied a bride’s garment and was
untied by the groom. The tying of knots marks a moment of
transition in many cultures, whether from maiden to married woman
or from the living to the dead. The undoing of knots is also
connected with the easing of childbirth. The Herakles knot is
found in Greek jewellery as early as the Mycenaean period, but it
became particularly popular in the second half of the fourth
century BC.”
James Marker, G.G. - jmarker@gia.org
GIA-Net System Operator & Research Librarian
Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center
Gemological Institute of America