Rights Holder: Winchester Museums Service
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Unique ID: HAMP-EC91E2
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
A Late Roman (AD 300-400) gold finger-ring with gold filigree and a blue intaglio. The bezel and hoop have broken apart at their join on one side but the ring is complete.
The bezel has an oval setting for the oval intaglio. The setting has a border around it formed from an openwork floral design, which bends down towards the finger at the sides. The reverse of the setting is concave. As a whole the bezel measures 13.45mm long, 9.65mm wide and 4.75mm thick. The intaglio is blue, dark blue around the edges and light blue in the centre, and depicts a standing winged male figure, leaning on a pillar and holding what appears to be a flaming torch. The pose of the figure mirrors Roman images of Mercury (the Roman messenger god), an identification supported by the wings. Moreover, there appears to be a snake (a symbol of Mercury) coiled around the pillar, and the flaming torch may actually be his caduceus.
The hoop has wide shoulders, 9.95mm wide, which are C-shaped in section and narrow and taper away from the bezel so that the shoulders are broadly triangular in plan. They are decorated on the outer face with gold filigree in the shape of two spirals, the tails of which join at the pointed end of the shoulder. At the centre of each spiral and between the tails is a circular knop.
The rest of the hoop is rectangular in section measuring 2.75mm wide and 0.65mm thick, decorated with two parallel grooves running its entire length.
Overall the ring measures 22.25mm x 21.60mm and weighs 5.64g.
A similar intaglio is YORYM-B88CF2. For a similar style of filigree decoration, see British Museum 1994,0408.9 (from the Hoxne Hoard).
Current location of find: Hampshire Museum Service
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2014T12
Broad period: ROMAN
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 300
Date to: Circa AD 400
Quantity: 1
Length: 22.25 mm
Width: 21.6 mm
Thickness: 9.95 mm
Weight: 5.64 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 22nd December 2013
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Other reference: Winchester Museums Entry Form 3744
Treasure case number: 2014T12
Primary material: Gold
Secondary material: Glass
Completeness: Complete
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.