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Tag: Roman Jewelry
Many of the earrings found in Ancient Rome are based on Hellenistic styles. The hoop and drop earrings being quite popular in the archeological record. Below are some of the different types. (The abbreviated version)
The primary style of necklace that has survived to this day, and one’s we see in images are the chain and bead style but there was also chains with some sort decoration and strung beads. The chain and bead style consisted of glass beads, gems, and/or pearls connected by wire loops. They could also have leaves, amulets, figures, or other shapes on them. String necklaces consist of glass beads, pearls, and gems or any combination therein. I theorize that linen was used as string and finds from Egypt find that linen was used to this effect. The difficult part is discerning the pattern as string doesn’t last the stress of time (Egypt is an exception). Luckily, there seems to be fairly regular patterns on the chain and bead necklaces of an every other type style. There are also images of what appears to be pearl necklaces. It’s plausible that the same type of bead was strung on a necklace as well. Lastly, there are chain necklaces. There are more details about chains in Part III but we will briefly go over them here as well.
The single loop-in-loop chain is one of the oldest chain styles. Some of the oldest examples date back to 3,000 BCE from the burials at Ur. The simple loop-in-loop style stayed static until around the time of the Hellenistic period. During this time the Greeks and Etruscans expanded on the single loop-in-loop to create a double loop-in-loop, pinched loop-in-loop, two- way double loop-in-loop, three-way double loop-in-loop, “S” Link, woven loop, and other variants. The chains found from this time often have something elaborate about them, either a clasp or a pendant. Here are some examples:
The Romans, not unlike their predecessors, favored certain gems and metals over others. They also shaped gems and did do some intricate gold work, which paled in comparison to predecessors. As for gems, the winners are listed below in no particular order.
Based on the class: All About That Bling
Chain and chain and gem/bead necklaces were extremely popular during the Roman Age. It’s a show of gold and gems, both status symbols. Here are several examples. It should be important to note that these may appear more popular because they weathered time better, however, when you look at the Fayum Mummy Portraits you’ll see several examples which allude to their popularity.
*Be aware that the exact meaning of some Latin words can be problematic at times. Transliteration can be difficult especially when the names of colors and garments were sometimes used to describe a position, job, social status/class, etc. Please derive and revise your conclusions with as much evidence as possible.