Zendaya wore earrings made from ancient Iranian artefacts dating to roughly 700 BC at a London event for Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of The Odyssey, drawing condemnation from archaeologists and art historians who called the use of looted antiquities as celebrity accessories a "hijacking" of Iran's cultural heritage (The Guardian).

The actress, who plays the goddess Athena in Nolan's film, appeared at the promotional event wearing gold medallions described as approximately 3,000 years old. The earrings belong to Barron London, a gallery and dealer based in Mayfair, a wealthy district in central London. The gallery states the artefacts were purchased from London jeweller Glenn Spiro in 2025 and attributed to the Ziwiye hoard — a collection of gold, silver, bronze, and terracotta objects discovered in north-western Iran in 1947 after being looted by shepherds.

"Looted" antiquities are ancient objects taken from the ground without proper archaeological care. When professionals excavate a site, they record exactly where and how each object was found. That information is crucial: it tells scholars how people lived, traded, and worshipped thousands of years ago. When looters dig up objects to sell them, that information is destroyed, and it can never be recovered.

Professor Sussan Babaie, an Iranian-born art historian at the Courtauld Institute, expressed outrage at the decision. She said there is not enough cultural knowledge among those who dress and accessorise celebrities, pointing to a gap in how stylists and image teams engage with the origin and significance of the objects they select. Dr Annelise Baer, an archaeologist and producer, identified the central ethical issue more specifically: the earrings were made out of looted antiquities. Archaeologists collectively criticised the use of culturally significant artefacts as fashion accessories, framing it as an appropriation of Iran's contributions to humanity.

The controversy began gaining traction in mid-July. People magazine reported on the earrings on July 18, followed by a CNN Instagram reel the same day referencing social media reaction during the press tour (People; CNN/Instagram). Complex published coverage by Trey Alston on July 19 (Complex). ARTnews reported that critics labelled Zendaya "Orientalist" for wearing the artefacts at an Odyssey promotional event (ARTnews). "Orientalist" refers to a way of treating Eastern cultures as exotic decorations rather than living traditions deserving respect. The Guardian's July 21 science-desk reporting, the most detailed account published, does not name a specific social media post, Iranian official, or cultural organisation as the origin point of the backlash; the named critics are Babaie and the archaeologists who spoke to the paper.

The Ziwiye hoard's origin story is central to the ethical dispute. Discovered near Saqqez in Iranian Kurdistan in the late 1940s, the find was looted before any formal archaeological excavation could take place. That means the objects entered the market without the contextual data that careful excavation provides. Turning fragments from such a hoard into wearable jewellery adds another layer of concern, as it prioritises beauty and commercial value over archaeological and cultural meaning.

The broader context here is a recurring tension between the art and antiques market, celebrity styling, and the heritage claims of countries where ancient objects originate. The question of who gets to display, wear, or profit from antiquities removed from their countries of origin has become a live issue in the cultural-property field. Cases involving major museums and private collectors in recent years have seen increased scrutiny of how objects are acquired, with countries pursuing restitution — the return of cultural objects to their homelands — for items removed during colonial occupation or through illegal trafficking. A celebrity wearing artefacts from a looted hoard on a global press tour raises the visibility of these debates considerably, though the fundamental ethical questions are not new.

Barron London's account of the earrings' history, tracing them from the Ziwiye hoard through Glenn Spiro to their current ownership, raises its own questions. The absence of formal archaeological excavation at Ziwiye means the chain of ownership begins with a looting event, and later sales do not retroactively make the objects legitimate from an archaeological standpoint. Whether the artefacts were exported from Iran legally or illegally at any point in their journey from the 1940s to a Mayfair gallery is a question the available reporting does not resolve.

Neither Zendaya, Nolan, nor the film's production company is identified in the available reporting as having responded to the criticism. The scope of the backlash, as documented across multiple outlets from July 18 through July 21, is concentrated among heritage professionals and social media commentary rather than official government actors.

What remains unresolved is whether this incident prompts any change in how celebrity styling teams assess the background of the objects they borrow or commission for high-visibility appearances. The criticism from Babaie and the archaeological community is directed not solely at one actress but at a decision-making process in which cultural significance is routinely pushed aside in favour of visual impact.