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LOT 0113
Roman Gold Chain with Ball Pendant
5TH CENTURY A.D.
14 3/8 in. (15.02 grams, 36.5 cm long).
Trichinopoly chain with hook-and-eye closure, ball pendant with beaded wire collar.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a Cambridgeshire lady, UK, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Spier, J., Byzantium and the West: Jewelry in the First Millennium, London, 2012, fig.14a.2, for identical chain with cross pendant.
FootnotesThe chain is composed of links in the form of pairs of broad, ribbed bands soldered together at a right angle. It is of fine loop-in-loop construction, terminating on one side in a ribbed cap with loops. The chain of ribbed loops placed at right angles is one of several popular varieties introduced in the late Roman period. The ball pendant was very common in Graeco-Roman times, substituted by Christian symbols during the late empire.
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AUCTIONS:
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Romano-British Bronze Military 'Caister Fort' Gaming Dice with Mystical Symbols
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Cuboid die with five sides bearing incised symbols: ring-and-dot (or theta Θ), 'IV' (for 'four'), saltire (or 'X' for 'ten'), frond with four spurs to each side, similar with one spur to each side. 4.5 grams, 8.7 mm
Found by the Roman fort at Caister, east of Norwich, Norfolk, UK, prior to 1998. Acquired from Richard Gladdle, 9th June 1998. From the important private collection of dice and gaming pieces of Colin Narbeth, London, UK, collection no.42. Accompanied by a Colin Narbeth catalogue identification card. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Celtic & Roman Artefacts book pages where this object is published.
The conventional Roman dice were made in bone or lead, with dots representing numbers from 1 to 6. Roman dice from the Romano-British settlements are often poorly made and often had opposite sides that do not add up to 7. This dice is unique in the panorama of the Romano-British dice, because the symbols probably represent an alternative to the simple numerical dimples which appear on most dices. -
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