NARC-8F9452: NARC-8F9452 : Finger Ring : Roman

Rights Holder: Northamptonshire County Council
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RING

Unique ID: NARC-8F9452

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published

A complete silver snake ring with confronting heads. The heads are detailed and naturalistic. The hoop is sub-circular in section. The inside of the hoop is undecorated with signs of wear, the outside is decorated with chevrons, some unevenly spaced.
Dimensions: Diameter (internal): 20 mm; Diameter (external): 32 mm; Weight: 22.77 grams.
Discussion: Whilst the ring is similar in design to some Roman snake rings (see Johns, 1996, 45 type Bi), it is more likely to be modern in date. The design and hoop thickness differ to Roman examples.
This form of jewellery continues to be popular in modern times, for other forms of modern snake rings see CPAT-42D547 and YORYM-024FCE.
Non-destructive XRF analysis of the ring at the British Museum suggested a high silver content but was inconclusive as to whether the metal was modern or Roman.
Conclusion: Consequently, whilst containing over 10% precious metal, in my opinion the object is unlikely to be over 300 years old and so would not qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.
References: Johns, C. 1996. The Jewellery of Roman Britain. Celtic and Classical Traditions, London, UCL Press.

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being declared not Treasure

Treasure details

Treasure case tracking number: 2017T834

Chronology

Broad period: MODERN
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: MODERN
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: MODERN
Date from: Circa AD 1750
Date to: Circa AD 1950

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight: 22.77 g

Personal details

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Other reference numbers

Treasure case number: 2017T834

Materials and construction

Primary material: Silver
Manufacture method: Hand made
Decoration style: Zoomorphic
Completeness: Complete

Spatial metadata

Region: East Midlands (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Northamptonshire (County)
District: Kettering (District)
Parish or ward: Loddington (Civil Parish)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: SP8078
Four figure Latitude: 52.39418482
Four figure longitude: -0.82576259
1:25K map: SP8078
1:10K map: SP87NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land
Specific landuse: Operations to a depth greater than 0.25m

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Timeline of associated dates

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Audit data

Recording Institution: NARC
Created: 6 years ago
Updated: 4 years ago

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