Description
A link consists of a closed loop. Links often consist of rings, but can also have other shapes. By bending, welding, soldering, or otherwise shaping a single initial loop, multiple loops can also be created from this initial loop. The most basic link chain consists of connections in which one link is connected to one or more links, but also where double or multiple links are connected to two or more links. Gold and silver link chains were used as jewelry from the Bronze Age in the Middle East through the Middle Ages. The oldest finds of link chains in royal tombs near Ore date back to 3000 BC. The quality of the recovered chains suggests that link chains were already being produced before this time. Other early sites of later date also exist, such as Troy II, prepalatial Crete, and Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. Because it is known that trade contacts existed in the early Bronze Age, it is not possible to say with certainty where the classic chain link originated. Examples of chain link constructions have been found since 2000 BC. In the 7th century BC, a new technique emerged in Greece in which multiple rows of rings were linked together to form a ribbon, similar to the technique used for making chain mail. This method was widely used by the Etruscans, Ancient Greeks, and Romans.
