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Details
LOT 0667
Roman Glass Pendant Pair
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (1.29 grams total, 15-16 mm).
A pair of bullae with integral loops, both showing iridescence. [2, No Reserve]
Provenance
Collected from 1970-1999.
From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
Footnotes
Freeborn Roman boys wore bullae until they reached adulthood, being given them eight days after their birth, on the same day that they were named. This important marked boys acceptance into the family. Bullae made of gold would only have been affordable to the members of the elite, whilst the lower classes wore pendants made of less expensive materials. The feminine equivalent was a lunar (crescentic) pendant.
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Such lunar pendants were worn by girls in ancient Rome as amulets to protect them against evil forces. The equivalent pendant for boys was the bulla.
