Zendaya's Ancient Iranian Earrings Spark Looted Artefacts Debate

Hollywood star Zendaya has faced backlash for wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian gold earrings at a London photocall for Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey. The earrings, attributed to the Ziwiyeh hoard (discovered in northwest Iran in 1947), were remounted with diamonds by jeweller Glenn Spiro and are owned by Mayfair gallery Barron London.

What happened

Zendaya, who plays Athena, wore the earrings at a promotional event in July 2026. The pieces are gold disc medallions dating to the first millennium BCE. Source: euronewsen

The backlash

Archaeologists and social media users criticised the use of culturally significant artefacts as accessories. An Instagram creator known as Dr Z the Archaeologist called it "gross" and said "black market antiquities are super uncool." Source: euronewsen Ancient historian Dr Carla Ionescu wrote: "It honestly never even crossed my mind that someone might be wearing original ancient artefacts on a red carpet." Source: euronewsen Prof Sussan Babaie, an Iranian-born art historian, expressed "outrage" and said it was "shocking to see that no one thought maybe this is not a good idea." Source: theguardian Some compared the incident to Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's dress in 2022.

The provenance

The Ziwiyeh hoard was found by shepherds and later looted, with pieces sold abroad in the 1960s. Source: theguardian Barron London stated the earrings "are responsibly stewarded in accordance with their documented provenance and all applicable legal requirements." Source: euronewsen, theguardian Critics argue that the artefacts likely have deep spiritual significance and should not be treated as fashion accessories.