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Description: | Incomplete gold finger ring, Henig Type VIII, with the inscription 'TOT' on the bezel. The bezel is circular and very worn. The letters 'T' are feint whereas the deeper incised letter 'O' is much more visible. The letters 'T' are depicted as simple straight lines with inward pointing lower terminals. The letter 'O' is a simple circle, and unlike most 'TOT' rings, the 'O' is shown as a capital letter and is larger than the flanking 'T's. The shoulders are triangular and are both decorated with two circles; one situated at either side at the widest part of the shoulder. The ring is broken in two pieces and part of the hoop is missing. The hoop is rectangular in cross section and tapers gently.Finger rings bearing the inscription TOT or variations thereof are thought to refer to the god-name Totatis, or Toutatis, who was one of the principal Celtic deities. Totatis was often conflated with the Roman god Mars.This is the only gold ring bearing the inscription 'TOT' known at the time of writing. The surface of the ring is a dull yellow colour. Where the ring is broken the cross-section shows a 'layered' metal almost similar to degraded pewter or lead, which in turn suggests that the gold is of a lower content and has been alloyed with another metal, perhaps lead. Most gold Roman finger rings of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD have high gold contents usually in excess of 92%. This ring appears to have a much lower content.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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