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LOT 0672
Roman Silver Knuckle Bone Gaming Piece
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (3.6 grams, 13 mm).
A silver knuckle bone gaming piece. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEssex gallery, early 2000s.
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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Roman Magical Gnostic Gemstone
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £550
An ellipsoid bifacial haematite gemstone with intaglio scenes: obverse with a reaper holding a sickle and cutting down a crop; reverse with a bird, wings spread beneath a glyph. 7.37 grams, 26.8 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection. -
Roman Phallic Pendant with Loops
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A bronze horse harness pendant composed of three concentric circles surmounted by a bearded figure to which is attached a suspension ring, the body of the figure engraved and ending with phallic attributes. 52.4 grams, 83 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
Roman military harness included pendants of various typology, ranging from lunules to other decorative elements, often phallic, with the possible intention of protecting the animal. This particular pendant could be connected to the bearded image of the god Priapus. -
Roman Gold Ring with Cult of Jupiter Dolichenus Bull Gemstone
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
A solid, smooth gold ring with D-shaped hoop, oval carnelian intaglio with a bull surmounted by a star; repaired. 4.41 grams, 26.31 mm overall, 18.49 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)
repaired
Acquired 1970-2000s. Ex Abelita family collection.
The bull, symbol of thunder and fertility, was an important component of the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus, to which this ring is probably connected. The god is usually represented as standing on a bull holding an axe in his upraised right hand and a bolt of lightning in the left. This bull perpetuated the connection with storms, a frequent and rather obvious identification of power and ferocity. This was a Hittite concept inherited from the Anatolians and then by the Romans.