is it a wolf on it?

@ Remi

I said "the provenience [provenance for Brits] is completely unknown" ... however, I suppose IF this is a genuine ancient coin, then it can be supposed that it most likely spent (probability favors it) SOME time within its long existence traveling in a car-boot (hell, even I've ridden in a car-boot, before, and I'm probably nowhere-near as old) *hee*hee*hee*

@ Azizi

Not a wolf (or a dog ... the things that look like maybe floppy ears are the horns of the bullock) ... look at the "feet" they are obviously meant to represent those of a hoofed creature.

Bob,

I am almost positive I saw this for a family crest when I was looking for your coat of arms.

@ Kausel

It is solid bronze ... it has had a gold-wash or gilding added (perhaps at the same time the loop was attached ... most of which has worn-off, but patches still remain). The grainy-dark substance you see in the recesses on the obverse looks like adhering matrix [midden dirt ... it hasn't been cleaned since it was last "excavated"].

The prancing style of the animal portrayed on the 'coin' is similar to a 2nd century BC Celtic tetradrachym many of which have been found in the Danube valley. That particular example however is almost certainly cast rather than stamped which suggests it is a fake or at least a souvenir replica.

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=1620.0

Dear Bob

I think this link may be useful for you 

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/

best regards 

This link will be useful for you

http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=51

Dear Bob,

being a collector of coins and amuletts, i think this is no coin but an amulett/charm. Should be from East-Asia according to the bronze metal and the age according to the metal should be 200 years about. Even when there are lots of fake today, it looks genuine to me. But to be sure i must hold it in the hand as you can imagine.

The circles represent the stars of the seven sisters, pleiades. Do not ask me about the animal, as i do not have access to my personla library at the moment. But it could be to ward off evil spirits.

The back seems erased, but you can still see in the middle the yinyang. Around should be some sexual positions of a couple. So it is for fertility.

It has eight round edges, which is a wholly number in China. This is also related to the eight daoist immortals.

Wikipedia gives you the following:

The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade–Giles: Pa¹-hsien¹) are a group of legendary xian ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a power tool (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in the secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Penglai Mountain-Island.

The Immortals are:

He Xiangu

Cao Guojiu

Li Tieguai

Lan Caihe

Lü Dongbin

Han Xiangzi

Zhang Guolao

Zhongli Quan

Best regards, Thomas

Bob,

While I have had no luck identifying the medal, I believe that the animal is a prancing donkey. The few ancient coins and medals that have donkeys or asses show them as long-eared, while those depicting horses usually have short ears.

Dear Thomas,

Immeasurable thanks for your insightful analysis; now, I think we are getting somewhere fast! I will pursue your suggested line of research aggressively.

Best regards,

Bob

Dear all,

Sometimes people may attach some wholes on coinages and hung on their necks for jewelry purposes. To those who have interests on ancient coinages, I have attached history of ancient coinages of Ethiopia during the time of Aksum.   

http://www.coinweek.com/featured-news/the-coinage-of-aksum/ 

Regards,

No.

Bob,

Thomas seems to be on the right track. Not sure about the sexual positions. I was thinking more along the lines of Chinese zodiac.

@ James

Yes, I agree ... Thomas has probably "hit the nail on the head." I don't know so much about the "sexual" poses hypothesized for the (worn-off and largely obscured) figures on the reverse, but (since there appears to be eight "characters") their relation to the eight-immortals is certainly more likely than those (12 expected) in the zodiac. You also see this eight-part division in all the so-called "dharma-wheels" in oriental cultures.

But the "goofiness" of the animal caricatured as the main element on the obverse still bothers me (especially after a friend [an art-historian, not an archaeologist] I showed it to, with hardly a momentary side-wise glance, dismissed it derisively as, and this is an exact quotation: "60s hippy crap!") 

Regards, and thanks for your research efforts and comments,

Bob

Bob,

From what I have been able to determine, your artifact is a zodiac medallion representing the Year of the Ox (or Dog??) on one side and the Han zodiac on the reverse. I am not sure why the Pleiades is on the front. These medallions were worn around the neck, hung in dwellings, and adorned armor, saddles, and other things. From the wear on the reverse I would say that it probably was attached to a saddle. A high-resolution scan might resolve the reverse better.

James,

I'll do some more searching along your suggested pathway. Was it you who said the animal looked more like a donkey than a calf/bull? In any case, that may be right; and this may be a talisman expressly for protecting travelers (attached to the saddle as you surmise). Take a look at the mythology surrounding one of the eight immortals (Zhang Guolao), who had been a real-life-person (an inveterate traveler, there is a wiki for him, though not very comprehensive), and he is most always depicted as riding his legendarily rambunctious "white mule" (most sources say "white mule" but this may be a tricky translation for a color-schema of a particular breed of jackass or donkey), which mythology says whenever wasn't needed, Zhang would simply fold-up (yes, like a sheet of paper) and put-away in his pocket, until he next needed transport, in which case, he un-folded the paper, spit some water on it from his mouth, at which point the mule was, magically (like instant coffee ?) "reconstituted" ... he hopped aboard (usually facing to the rear) and rode away briskly. I'll tack-on a couple of salient illustrations below. Anyway, I'm thinking rather than zodiacal icons, the eight characters on the reverse may be the traditional symbols representing each of the immortals (note that each immortal is "carrying" something that became a standardized ideogram representing that person).

Another thing Thomas pointed-out that is undoubtedly correct is the yin/yang symbol at the center of the reverse-side design. The yinyang occurs at the center of most (all ?) such eight-based medallions / talismans / charms for which I have found examples ... and there is a MULTITUDE of different ways the octagonal alignments can be interpreted (see attached figure as an example of the complexity ... which often includes the I-Ching). 

I wish to hell I knew some Mandarin and the Chinese alphabet!

@ James and Thomas

The interpretation of the seven-circles as stars representing the Pleiades is troubling. Given the oriental/Taoist/Buddhist context, I believe they may better be interpreted perhaps as "the first seven footsteps of Buddha" ... as related in Buddhist mythology ... "When Buddha was born a lotus bloomed where he first touched the ground; he stepped seven steps northward and a lotus marked each footfall."

This would also fit better with the idea of this being a talisman for protection of travelers ... allusion to following in the footsteps of Buddha through life as being guidance/good-luck for the traveler in following the correct pathway to his ultimate destination.

Bob,

I am unsure about the animal. While my first thought was a donkey, I see where those could be horns, not floppy ears. Also, many ox representations have a tuff of hair on the end of the tail like depicted. There probably were hundreds of tradesmen producing these things, all of varying quality. The cruder ones likely going to the lower castes.

Forget I said anything about a dog (bulbular nose and floppy ears) because I forgot the animal has hooves.

You have not said whether this came from a site and if so how old the site is. One problem I have with a search is that China had the closed door isolationist policy reinstated by the Ming Dynasty and while trade and migration did occur to some degree, there were not that many books about the mystic aspects if the culture written until well into the 19th century.

In my view the animal represented is a dragon with the customary arrowhead tail and long snout. Without any provenance or knowledge of eastern culture it is virtually impossible for me to make any judgement on the origin or meaning of the piece. Perhaps other members can contribute to this idea.

Dear Bob, i have a dozen of those with the Plejades on it in my collection and i never heard of one with Buddhas footsteps. And most of these amuletts/charms belong to the popular taoism and still today a lot of people care about it.

As i said my personal library is in another city. But for everybody who is keen in learning Chinese art and culture i recommend:

Williams C. A. S.:

Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs.

Rutland Vermont Tokio, Charles E Tuttle, 1993.

ISBN: 0804815860 / 0-8048-1586-0

I think, they are amuletts, embodying  male and female origin.Taurus is a symbol of masculine and beast origin, a woman is a universe and infinite humanity.

Bob,

My analysis of the object (see PDF) indicates that it is a talisman medallion or coin that depicts a Chinese qilin on the front side and the Chinese zodiac on the reverse side. The qilin is more in the style of those seen during the Ming dynasty, but the two-horned tradition could have carried over into the Qing dynasty, which usually showed the qilin with branching deer antlers. The design elements that were thought to represent Pleiades might instead be air elements.

JAG

Bob Skiles, in my opinion, your bronze object has no relationship with Chinese or any Far Eastern origin (Korea and Japan).  In addition, your object does not seem to be a coin.  The animal on the obverse side looks somewhat like a dog.  This animal has no resemblance to the 12 zodiacal signs, used in the Far East (China, Korea and Japan).  On the reverse side, the center image is a pair of twirling tear-drop patterns, which are common in Celtic works, and do not represent the typical "yin and yang" pattern originating in China.

In reference to James A. Green's comment (in his pdf attachment), the animal "qilin," which is the same as the Japanese term "kirin 麒麟" (as in Kirin beer), Katherine M. Ball, Animal Motifs in Asian Art: An Illustrated Guide to Their Meanings and Aesthetics (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2004, reprint of the original edition of 1927, published by John Lane, The Bodley Head Ltd., London, and Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, under the title Doctorative Motifs of Oriental Art), classifies this "qulin/kirin" animal as "unicorn," "known as the "ch'i-lin, . . . the third of the . . . 'Four Divine Anamals'" in China (in Chapter V, The Unicorn, pp. 33-40).

Some reference to "qulin" or "kirin" is also found under "unicorn" in C. A. S. Williams, Outline of Chinese Symbols and Art Motive (Rutland, VT, and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1974), pp. 413-415.   

To what extent this is of help, I do not know. 

Bob, please note that I corrected a type, reading: your bronze object has no relationship with Chinese or any Far Eastern origin . . .

Yoshio Kusaba,

I cannot fathom why you say the medallion is not of Chinese or Far Eastern origin. The qilin featured on the obverse is almost identical to those depicted on tapestries and silk paintings of the Ming and Qing dynasties, although it is somewhat cruder. I attribute the crudeness to a less-skilled artisan, possibly in an outlying region. Of course during this time Korea and other parts of South Asia were under the rule of China. The qilin depicted on the medallion is also very similar, and in some cases almost identical, to numerous qilin shown on Ming and Qing dynasty ceramic vases and jars. Additionally, in 16th to 19th century paintings and other depictions the "Chinese unicorn" is rarely shown with only one horn. During the Ming dynasty it was depicted with two horns and during the Qing dynasty with branching stag deer antlers. More importantly, even during those historical periods the qilin was shown in many different forms.

JAG

Qilin. Various spellings including kelin, kilin, and kylin, with or without hyphen (e.g. ky-lin).

These images are characteristic of all ancient cultures.Thus, Ancient Slavs had a cult of bull (ox). This zoomorphic image, totemic ancestor - Veles symbolizes agrarian cult (from Radimiches). The other talisman (obereg) is devoted to Svarog, heavenly God, symbolizing "motovilo-kosovilo", the wheel of the world, the wheel of eternity, heavenly power and fire, sun cicle in the roof of heaven (to other version- a neutron star) .

https://milinda.com.ua/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=541

http://slavyanskaya-kultura.ru/slavic/symbol/zverinye-slavjanskie-oberegi.html

James A. Green:  I offered my reading of the metal object, which in my opinion cannot be a "qulin", nor does the reverse side represent an image of yin and yang.  I have not seen a metal object of the Chinese Ming and Qing origin looking like the animal being discussed here.  As noted by Irina Pechonkina and echoed by Aparna Murthy, the animal image in question looks more Eastern Europe to Celtic in origin.  The Celts were quite spread apart and freely moved across the Eurasian continent.

Many coins depicting prancing animals and celestial bodies have been found in the UK and can be bought at auction from a few hundred pounds to several thousand.  The Iceni, famous for being the tribe of Boudica stamped many such coins but they differ sufficiently in style to suggest that the pendant is a much later copy.  

The prancing animal design on Celtic coins shows the animal in stylised form with limbs and heads detached from the trunk, probably to signify movement.  The significance of the stellar bodies may be religious or could perhaps indicate the denomination of the coin in the absence of written figures to indicate value. 

Spiritual values have been the essence of the ancient ancestors'  beliefs. Thus, the heavenly symbols on the amulets are the signs of Finno-Ugric religions (the pre-Christian religious beliefs, influencing on the people, inhabited Scandinavia, Siberia, the Baltic area, and central Europe).  Our ancestors were multicultural.  

Bob,

After taking another look at the reverse, I do agree that it might not be a yin yang symbol in the center, but rather a spiraling wind type symbol. If so, then my conclusions could be wrong.

Bob,

I took another look at the reverse after someone pointed out that it was not the yin yang in the center. I then did a search through numerous antique documents going back into the 16th century. Many of the yin yang symbols were quite different than the standardized version of today. Some had an almost whirlpool-like spiral and some either did not have the embedded circles or they were mere small dots. So, to me the jury is still out, but the spaced characters(?) and symbols(?) around the outside would argue Chinese. I get the "impression" that the first tier out from the center symbol are Chinese characters. Not only that, but the curly-ques and other embellishments on the front are almost identical to those on other Chinese medallions. I wonder if I could manipulate and enhance the worn reverse side if it was scanned at a high resolution?

JAG

Barry Turner has already provided the answer - it is a cast pendant, most probably quite modern, and the motifs on it "obverse" and "reverse" are inspired by the ancient (3 rd -1st c.B.C) Celtic metalwork art, especially that found on Celtic coinages from the British Isles to the Black Sea. It may be possible to find on-line numismatic databases and identify more closely the motifs/patterns that inspired this pendant. One could start with https://finds.org.uk/ironagecoins or a similar website, but I am not sure whether it is worth the time investment. The object might have been acquired by its original owner in some European museum shop.

hello,

I‘m also having trouble identifying a necklace amulet. Could you please help me? I really don’t know if my amulet has any value or significant meaning. Your help would be highly appreciate.