Roman Bone Dice Pair

A round lead seal with male portrait, wearing a military mantle fastened on the right side by a fibula, three Latin letters on the left side, possibly 'I A A'. 2.3 grams, 13 mm



Acquired in the 1970s. Important European collection.

Lead seals were used to seal documents. The sealing shows a facing male head with a bearded face, probably the portrait of a Roman emperor or a high imperial functionary, like a Dux or a Praefectus. The hairstyle is that of the Dominate, or late 3rd century AD.

A bronze pentagonal mount with scooped edges, four piercings to accept fixing rivets, hatched band enclosing an incuse Chi Rho christogram. 25.9 grams, 55 mm



Acquired in the late 1990s-2000. Property of an East London gentleman.

A terracotta bust of a boy mounted on an integral channeled plinth base, modelled with semi-naturalistic facial features and a cropped hairstyle, wearing a bulla and a sash over the left shoulder. 341 grams, 17 cm high



Ex private German collection, 1960; thence by descent. with Auktionshaus Owl, Bielefeld, Germany, 5 September 2015, Lot 40605.

In ancient Rome, the bulla was an amulet given to every boy nine days after his birth. The meaning, origins and use of the bulla are in some ways enigmatic and still a subject of research for scholars. The bulla was worn around the neck during childhood and adolescence. Depending on the social status and wealth of the family who commissioned it, different materials were used; on rare occasions it was made fully in gold, if the child belonged to a family of the high Roman aristocracy, or more commonly made in lead covered with a gold foil. The bulla was also made for the poorer classes in lesser materials, such as fabric or leather.