In 1950, five years after Brigadier Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler married (third time), Margaret Norfolk, gave his wife of seven unique bronze chain metal necklace of great antiquity. The couple was on a visit then to Simla. This is the beautiful hill station in northern India, where they had been married for five years. Margarita proudly showed the necklace to a close Indian friend explained that Mortimer believes that the necklace would bring good luck. "Third time lucky!" Mortimer was what he had said that when he gave the necklace in reference to his two previous marriages to Tessa who died in 1936, and Mavis de Vere Cole, who had divorced in 1942 for cheating on him. Later, in 1954, Mavis also served a prison sentence, having achieved notoriety for shooting Mr Vivian in the abdomen with a revolver.

Two years later, in 1952, after Mortimer was knighted, Margaret (for reasons not known) having the necklace at her friend India. The Cree Indian Lady Margaret nursed a superstition that the device should not leave the subcontinent. "It was lucky for him and Leslie. I think it has complied its purpose, "was all Margaret said. Leslie Mortimer Alcock was assistant at the site of Mohenjo Daro excavation (Moen-jo-Daro Sindhi for" the mound of the dead ") when it was discovered the necklace.

Mortimer had said this discovery, the collar should have been the property of Pakistan Department of Archeology, along with the figures of the dancer and the Priest King (Brahmin priest), pottery, toys, stamps, tools, weapons and many other such objects discovered in Mohenjo Daro. Today is a private possession of a family in Simla.

What is unique about this necklace is that it is at least 4500 years of age, with Mortimer Wheeler discovered in an earthen pot in REM 1 "breadbasket" area of the excavation site of Mohenjo Daro civilization Indus Valley, now in Pakistan.

Interesting details on the collar

The ancient city of Mohenjo-daro was built around 2600 BC and is believed who have been abandoned around 1900 BCE. Even by modest estimates of the age of the collar would be more than 3900 years, but according to Mortimer more likely to be close 4500 years, from pottery fragments and the level of the excavation site was discovered. This places it among the oldest beads in the world. The necklace has an S-shaped brooch with seven chapters, each more than 4 feet long, bronze, metal balls as nuggets of the connection of each arm of the "S" watermark. Each account is less than the size of a grain of pepper and has many facets. Each chain has between 220 to 230 seeds and there around 1600 pips in total. The necklace weighs 250 grams. An article on this necklace was reported in the Hindu newspaper in India, dated 13 January 1996. In 2002, a price of £ 80,000 offered to the necklace by a private collector in the UK. Since your property to date had not been claimed by Pakistan, who had hoped to buy the antique necklace for his personal collection, but the old Indian lady refused to part with it.

The Necklace of Mohenjo Daro was exhibited during the festival in Dubai in 2006, and recently in an exhibition of Antiquities in New Delhi, raising speculation once again that could be available for purchase. For reasons of propriety the name the owner was withheld.

Muskan Singh
Journalist
Shimla

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