منظم مستحضرات التجميل
وفر 26%! اشترِ منظم مستحضرات التجميل بسعر 345.6 د.ل فقط في ليبيا. متوفر حالياً،
🛒 تسوق الآنZendaya's 3,000-Year-Old Iranian Earrings at The Odyssey Premiere Spark Ethics Row Over Cultural Heritage
Zendaya's 3,000-Year-Old Iranian Earrings at The Odyssey Premiere Spark Ethics Row Over Cultural Heritage
Archaeologists condemn choice of ancient Ziwiye gold discs as "Orientalist" amid US-Iran tensions
American actor Zendaya has come under fire from historians and archaeologists after wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings on the red carpet at The Odyssey London premiere. Experts told The New Arab the choice reflected "Orientalist practices" and a disregard for the cultural heritage of the Global South.
The gold earrings, believed to date to the first millennium BCE and to originate from the ancient Iranian Ziwiye hoard, were worn during a photocall for Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's Odyssey — sparking immediate backlash from cultural heritage professionals.
Why the Earrings Are Controversial
The Ziwiye treasure is a collection of gold and silver artifacts discovered in the 1940s near the village of Ziwiye in northwestern Iran. The pieces date to around 700 BCE and are considered among the most important examples of ancient Iranian metalwork. Archaeologists say the earrings likely passed through private collectors and auction houses before reaching the costume department — a trajectory that raises questions about provenance and repatriation.
Dr. Sarah Karimi, an archaeologist specialising in Iranian antiquities at the University of London, told The New Arab: "These are not props. These are archaeological artefacts with enormous cultural significance to modern Iranians. Wearing them as fashion accessories trivialises millennia of heritage."
A Pattern of Controversy: Kim Kardashian Comparisons
The controversy has drawn immediate comparisons to Kim Kardashian's 2022 Met Gala appearance, where she wore Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress — causing alleged damage to the historic garment. Both cases highlight a recurring tension between celebrity culture and cultural heritage preservation.
Social media users were quick to draw parallels, with one viral post on X reading: "Zendaya wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings while the US bombs Iran is peak American behaviour. We learned absolutely nothing from the Kim Kardashian-Marilyn Monroe dress situation."
The Geopolitical Context
The backlash is amplified by the timing. The earrings were worn at a moment when the United States is conducting airstrikes against Iranian targets, making the display of ancient Iranian artefacts feel — to many observers — culturally and politically insensitive. Critics argue that the juxtaposition of military destruction and ornamental appropriation of Iranian heritage is deeply troubling.
Cultural heritage lawyer Amira El-Haddad noted: "When you take artefacts from a nation you are actively in conflict with and use them as decoration, it sends a message of ownership and domination. Whether intentional or not, the symbolism is powerful."
Industry Response and What Happens Next
Neither Zendaya nor her representatives have publicly commented on the controversy as of press time. The costume department for The Odyssey has not clarified how the earrings were acquired or whether provenance checks were conducted.
Several museum professionals have called for greater accountability in how ancient artefacts circulate through the fashion and entertainment industries. The debate also raises broader questions about the ethics of using culturally significant objects as accessories — particularly when those objects originate from regions experiencing conflict or Western military intervention.
For Libyans, the controversy resonates on a familiar level. Libya's own archaeological heritage — from the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna to the prehistoric rock art of the Acacus Mountains — has frequently been subject to looting and illicit trafficking, especially during periods of instability. The debate over who owns the past and who gets to display it is not abstract; it is a lived reality across North Africa and the Middle East.
— Libya Press / Entertainment Desk
