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FINGER RING
Unique ID: LANCUM-77EC37
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Copper alloy zoomorphic pennanular finger-ring with overlapping snake's head terminal, dating 50 to 150AD. It consists of a coiled circular-section rod terminating in a flattened snake's head resting on a tail. The diameter is 21mm and the weight 4.05g.
This is a well-known Roman mass-produced style of jewellery, which can occur in a variety of metals, including in gold. Roman snake rings were introduced in the 1st century and used into the 2nd century and the majority of snake-rings found in Britain were made here, rather than imported (Johns 1996).
Johns (1997, 35) writes interestingly upon the significances of snake jewellery. In brief, snakes held general apotropaic properties, though snake-shaped ornaments could hold more specific meanings for their owners. Although snakes were associated with other deities they had a particular link with Asclepius, god of healing. Indeed, the snake depicted or represented on contemporary jewellery was the Asclepian snake, Elaphe longissima, or a relative. See also Cool 2000, 29-40.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: IRON AGE
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa 50 BC
Date to: Circa AD 150
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Weight: 4.05 g
Diameter: 21 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 2nd June 2016 - Thursday 2nd June 2016
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: North West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Lancashire (County)
District: Hyndburn (District)
Parish or ward: St. Oswald's (District Ward)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SD7225
Four figure Latitude: 53.72065036
Four figure longitude: -2.42578868
1:25K map: SD7225
1:10K map: SD72NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cool, H.E.M. | 2000 | The Significance of Snake Jewellery Hoards | London | Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies | |||
| Johns, C. | 1996 | The Jewellery of Roman Britain: Celtic and Classical Traditions | UCL Press | ||||
| Johns, C. | 1997 | The Snettisham Roman Jeweller's Hoard | London | British Museum Press |
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Timeline of associated dates
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