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Description: | Cast copper alloy finger ring with engraved bezel of probable Roman date (50-400 AD). The hoop of the finger ring is circular but slightly distorted in cross section the ring is slightly D shaped. The hoop of the finger ring is the same width all the way round and does not flare or taper. The bezel is formed by the two edges (upper and lower) being cut away to create a sub-rectangular (diamond shaped) bezel. The hoop of the ring measures 22.5mm length, 21.6mm width, is 7.8mm high and is 2.1mm thick. The internal diameter of the ring is 19.1mm x 18.7mm. The ring weighs 4.78 grams.
The external face of the bezel has a well formed and executed cast and engraved design. The bezel is decorated with a series of deeply incised chip-carved geometric patterns. These seem to form a series of stacked designs which are concentric. The centre of the design consists of a diamond shape which is contained within another diamond. These are both formed from deeply incised diagonal lines. This double diamond pattern is contained within a sub-rectangular panel ? again formed from straight lines. This design is then bordered by two triangular panels forming the outer diamond shape. The exterior edge of the hoop is further decorated by deeply incised geometric designs which consist of a single diamond shape similar to that on the bezel. This is flanked to one side by a series of four diagonal lines which form a zig-zag pattern. This pattern stops and the rest of the ring is undecorated. The style of this decoration is in keeping with that on the rest of the finger-ring and is presumably contemporary with it. There is no other decoration present on either the exterior or interior of the finger ring.
The finger ring has an even but abraded mid-green / brown coloured patina which covers all surfaces. There are several small areas of damage as a direct result of abrasion in the ploughsoil and this movement has resulted in the distortion of the overall shape of the hoop in plan. No direct parallels have been found for this ring. It is interesting to note the seemly unfinished nature of the decoration ? this may suggest that the ring was originally a reject or possibly a training piece. | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | 50
410 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Peter Reavill | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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