Zendaya's ancient Iranian earrings ignite global debate on cultural heritage and luxury fashion

Why Zendaya's Iranian earrings sparked debate over history, fashion and ethics

Zendaya's appearance at The Odyssey press tour in London turned heads for an unexpected reason: her earrings may be nearly 3,000 years old. The gold medallions, believed to originate from Iran's Ziwiye hoard and later embellished with diamonds by jeweller Glenn Spiro, have ignited a fierce debate among archaeologists, cultural heritage experts and fashion observers about where ancient history belongs.

The actress, known for her bold fashion statements ranging from a vintage Thierry Mugler robot suit to a marble-inspired Schiaparelli gown, has once again made headlines. But this time, the controversy extends far beyond style.

An ancient treasure with disputed origins

The Ziwiye hoard was discovered in 1947 near the village of Ziwiye in northwestern Iran's Kurdistan Province, reportedly by peasants who found a treasure of gold, silver and ivory objects in a bronze or copper chest eroding from a mound. Dating to approximately 700 BC, the collection represents a remarkable fusion of four distinct artistic traditions: Median, Assyrian, Scythian and proto-Achaemenid styles, illustrating the Iranian plateau's role as a cultural crossroads in antiquity.

Ancient Iranian goldsmiths achieved extraordinary mastery, with sites across the Iranian plateau revealing advanced techniques including repoussé decoration, hammering, engraving and casting that influenced artistic traditions throughout western Asia. The medallions worn by Zendaya are testament to this sophisticated craftsmanship.

Yet the hoard's provenance remains deeply problematic. Archaeologist Oscar White Muscarella questioned the authenticity and origins of Ziwiye objects, noting that none were excavated under proper archaeological conditions and all passed through dealers' hands, making their origins difficult to verify. Today, items attributed to the hoard are dispersed across major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris and the British Museum in London, as well as in private collections.

From burial grounds to red carpets

Ancient historian Dr Carla Ionescu expressed shock at seeing genuine ancient artefacts on a red carpet.

It honestly never even crossed my mind that someone might be wearing original ancient artefacts on a red carpet. I spend so much of my life walking through museums and archaeological sites where the first thing you learn is that you don't touch anything.

The concern runs deeper than museum protocol. Much ancient gold jewellery that survives archaeologically comes from burial contexts, particularly women's graves, where objects were placed beside the deceased thousands of years ago with the belief that they belonged with them in death as in life. This raises profound questions about whether such items should be transformed into luxury accessories.

Peter Edwell, a professor of history and archaeology at Macquarie University in Sydney, told The New York Times that the unclear origins of many Ziwiye hoard objects make their history difficult to verify.

A broader pattern in luxury jewellery

The Zendaya earrings are not an isolated case. Glenn Spiro has previously created jewellery incorporating other ancient artefacts, including first millennium BCE Mesopotamian agate bangles and 17th-century Baoulé gold artefacts from the Ivory Coast, as part of his 'Materials of the Old World' collection.

You can wear something around your neck that dates back thousands of years but is still contemporary and cool,

Spiro told Galerie magazine in 2025.

This practice reflects a growing market trend. Roman, Egyptian, Phoenician and Islamic beads are regularly restrung into contemporary necklaces, with archaeological fragments reframed as decorative accessories. Other celebrities have embraced similar pieces: Zendaya's The Odyssey co-star Anne Hathaway wore a Bulgari watch featuring an ancient Roman coin, while Margot Robbie wore Cartier's historic Taj Mahal diamond necklace, once owned by Elizabeth Taylor, to the Wuthering Heights premiere.

Legal and ethical frameworks

The controversy unfolds against a complex legal backdrop. Beginning in the mid-19th century, many nations rich in archaeological resources enacted national ownership laws vesting ownership of antiquities in the state, with the purpose of deterring looting by denying title to finders and subsequent purchasers.

The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property established international standards requiring that cultural property should not be removed, sold or traded without permission from official representatives of the country of origin. These frameworks explain why experts question the legal status of objects from the Ziwiye hoard.

Defending the choice

London gallery Barron, which supplied the jewellery, defended the decision, saying it hoped the earrings would remind audiences of Iran's artistic and historical legacy, particularly at a time when the country is often viewed through the lens of current political events.

Yet the incident has renewed broader discussions about who owns ancient artefacts and whether culturally significant objects belong in private collections, museums or on red carpets. As celebrities continue pushing fashion boundaries in search of unforgettable moments, Zendaya's latest look demonstrates that sometimes the most memorable accessories carry the weight of millennia and the burden of unresolved questions about cultural heritage, ownership and respect for the past.