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Description: | CORONER'S REPORTDescription of ObjectA Roman gold finger-ring with oval hoop (slightly distorted in its narrowest arc), which expands to form rounded keeled shoulders flanking a flat, slender, elongated ovoid bezel incised with the Greek word EUTYXI - 'Good fortune to you (the wearer)', or 'May you (the wearer) prosper'. The size and spacing of the letters is a little irregular but they are neatly cut with well-formed seriphs. They retain much of their black-coloured inlay, probably niello.DiscussionFor the ring type, though with different inscription, (see F.H. Marshall, 1907, no. 582, fig. 92). Several gold finger-rings from Roman Britain bear Greek inscriptions, including those from Corbridge, Northumberland, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire and Stonham Aspal, Suffolk (R. G. Collingwood and R. P. Wright Roman Inscriptions of Britain Volume II, Fascicule 3 (S. S. Frere and R. S. O. Tomlin eds., 1991), nos. 2422.1, 12, 6 and 10). The niello inlay in Greek lettering can be paralleled by a gold-plated silver finger-ring from Corbridge (RIB II, 3, no. 2422.43), while the EUTYXI formula is quite often found either standing alone or as part of a longer inscription on onyx and sardonyx cameos (see M. Henig, 1990, 17-21, nos. 29-39). British examples include an engraved sardonyx cameo set in a gold ring found near the Roman villa at Keynsham, Avon and a relief-carved onyx cameo found at the Roman villa at North Wraxall, Wiltshire (RIB II, 3, nos. 2423.10 and 11).Date: Probably late 2 nd/ early 3 rd century AD.Dimensions: external, 21.7 x 15.3 mm. internal, 17.8 x 13.5 mm. bezel width 5.2 mm. Weight: 4.04 g.Metal AnalysisNon-destructive surface metal analysis conducted at the British Museum indicated that the gold content is approximately 94 - 97%. Analysis of the black inlay confirmed its identification as niello.
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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