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_900x900.jpg "Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Invictus")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Invictus")
.jpg "Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Invictus")
LOT 0738
Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Invictus
CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.72 grams, 21.78 mm overall, 18.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)).
Composed of a carinated hoop and oval bezel set with a glass intaglio crowned bust facing left.
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Cf. Humer, F., Kremer, G., Pollhammer, E., Pülz, A., AD 313 Von Carnuntum zum Christentum, Bad Voslau, 2014, nos.40, for similar gemstones representing the Sol Invictus.
FootnotesThe portrait could be interpreted as wearing a radiated crown, thus an image of Sol Invictus, common in gems for rings of the 3rd century A.D., where the young face of the Sun-Helios is often visible in profile, looking to the left, with the radiate crown on his head. The cult of Sol Invictus was favoured by the Illyrian emperors and elevated in Rome by Aurelian to one of the premier divinities of the Empire.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum
5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
Featuring an elaborate monogram composed of Greek letters M and O, supported by decoratively twisted prongs; tapering cylindrical socket. 521 grams, 37.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Branding stamps or signacula, in particular those with large single letters, were used for marking livestock to identify the ownership, the breed, the quality and other features of the animal. The signacula were usually made in bronze, but iron examples are also preserved. -
Roman Ceramic Brick with Military Stamp for Legio I Italica
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
Of rectangular form, a recessed stamp to one face bearing letters in relief 'LEG I ITAL' for First Italic Legion. 2.5 kg, 27.5 x 13 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
The Legio I Italica ('of Italy') was a Roman legion formed by Nero on September 20, 66 or 67 A.D. and it was active until the 5th-6th century AD. The emblems of the legion were a running boar and sometimes a bull. Troops of this legion appear on Trajan's Column bridging a river. The main camp of the Legio was Novae, modern Bulgaria, but it operated in most of the imperial provinces, including Britain, where a vexillatio fought in the wars of Septimius Severus between 202 and 204 A.D. -
Roman Glass Bead Necklace
2nd-5th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £46
Composed of graduated glass beads of various shades of blue and type of bead, including carinated, oblate, coin-shaped and cuboid example, together with other types; restrung. 13.1 grams, 70 cm long
Ex W.J. collection, 1990s.
