FINGER RING

A copper-alloy finger ring of Henig type II dating 1st-3rd century A.D. It has an oval recess 14.60mm x 11.74mm and c.2.98mm deep that would have held an intaglio, which is now missing. It is difficult to determine whether the ring was originally a continuous band of metal or whether it was designed to terminate in rounded off ends that met at the centre of the back (underneath of the finger) almost but not quite touching, or rounded off ends that over-lapped each other one above the other. Currently the ends over-lap each other one above the other but the uncertainty arises due to one end being smoothly rounded off and the other terminating in a rough and irregular jagged line. This gives the ring an oval shape when viewed from the side with an internal vertical diameter 13.28mm (recess to terminal ends) and horizontal diameter of 18.76mm. The ring has a flattened oval or 'D' shaped section towards the terminal ends but is a more pronounced 'D' shape with a slightly convex underside towards the recess for the intaglio. There are a couple of small patches of light green corrosion forming on the internal surface and the base of the recess has broken through and is partly missing. On one side of the ring, 5.72mm from the edge of the recess a crack 0.59mm wide is present that crosses approximately ¾ of the width of the ring, 9.12mm in length. The ring has a maximum width of 18.44mm and thickness of 3.38mm at the top by the recess but gradually narrows to a width of 4.42mm and thickness of 1.61mm at the terminal end. The ring has a weight of 11.89g.