BH-84A380: Roman finger ring

Rights Holder: St. Albans District Council
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FINGER RING

Unique ID: BH-84A380

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published Find published

A badly distorted Roman copper-alloy finger ring.

This is an example of a 'snake-form' penannular finger ring. The hoop is of rectangular section, flaring into a pair of inward-facing snake heads. Both heads have a near-right-angled bend, which is a deliberate feature. There are possible traces of incised facial features.

Width: 28.9mm; maximum height (terminals): 13.5mm; weight: 2.37g.

Snake-form jewellery appears to have been introduced into Britain in the 1st century AD and continued to be used throughout much of the Roman period (Johns 1996: 44). A close parallel for this ring is PAS record BH-C85C05.

Class: snake-headed

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 410

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Height: 13.5 mm
Width: 28.9 mm
Weight: 2.37 g

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 18th August 2013

Personal details

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Other reference numbers

Other reference: Ver 13/155 - 32

Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Uncertain

Spatial metadata

Region: Eastern (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Hertfordshire (County)
District: North Hertfordshire (District)
To be known as: Ashwell

Spatial coordinates


Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land
Specific landuse: Character undetermined

References cited

Author Publication Year Title Publication Place Publisher Pages Reference
Johns, C. 1996 The Jewellery of Roman Britain: Celtic and Classical Traditions UCL Press

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Timeline of associated dates

Audit data

Recording Institution: BH
Created: 9 years ago
Updated: 8 years ago

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