NECKLACE

Roman gold jewellery component, from either an ear-ring or perhaps a bracelet or necklace. The surviving fragment consists of two identical decorative elements, one above the other, formed of two layers of sheet gold probably soldered together; each consists of a plain backing plate and a hollow repoussé upper plate in the form of two stylised opposed birds. Each bird has a pellet eye, a ribbed beak and bodies composed of a series of parallel ribs to represent feathers. The decorative elements are well preserved, with the right-hand side of the lower element bent slightly upwards.

On the back of the decorative plates there is an upper attachment hook consisting of a twist of wire which has been hammered into a taper and rolled back on itself at its terminal. This is attached to a double loop of twisted wire, soldered to the upper backing plate. A similar double loop was passed through the loop formed by the upper wire and soldered to the back of the lower decorative plate. This wire is slightly damaged, as the upper part of the loop has come adrift and slightly bent. It seems likely that there was a further decorative element (or more) below, now missing.

Discussion: the only parallel found for this object is a necklace from Augst, Switzerland, (https://saesferd.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/augst.jpg?w=640) comprising 38 moveable elements very similar in style to this one but instead of bird's heads the opposing motifs are ivy leaves and the whole piece is slightly larger in size (width 28mm). The attachment loops of wire at the back are identical. This necklace was found in a context with late 2nd to 3rd century AD pottery and a coin of Septimius Severus (Riha 1990, cat. 692, plate 29).

Date: 2nd to 3rd century AD

Wt.: 1.69g Ht.: 26.7mm Width of decorative elements: 20.5mm.

Reference: Riha, E. 1990. Die römische Schmuck aus Augst und Kaiseraugst, Forschungen in Augst 10.