Romano-Egyptian Coiled Snake Ring

A bronze figure or gaming piece of a nude female in crouching pose with hands placed on the hips, possibly giving birth; the hair shown drawn up in a bun, segmented armband to each upper arm. 30.4 grams, 28 mm high



Private Swiss collection, acquired 2002.

The dice features six attitudes on which it could land when rolled, one of which includes the figure's head. The earliest concrete historical evidence of games played with dice originated from ancient Egypt, circa 3000 B.C., although it is generally believed by historians that dice pre-dated the ancient Egyptian civilisation. The Romans played two games using dice: Tali and Tesserae. The former originated in Greece and features four animal bones. The aim was to roll in such a way that each die displayed a different number-the higher the combined number, the greater the score. The latter was played using three dice, the goal being to roll triple six, or to achieve the highest combined numbers out of the contestants; it was a game of chance and the most common street and tavern gambling game in ancient Rome. ‘Dogs’ referred to poor scores and ‘Venus’ to high ones. Roman players rolled dice from a special cup called a fritillium onto wood, bronze, or marble boards, depending on their class and wealth. Roman elites boasted ornate boards inscribed with their names. The gambling which ensued from dice games caused extreme social issues in Roman society, leading the government to eventually outlaw dice games, although these laws were largely ignored.

A zoomorphic copper-alloy ring composed of a slender, square-section coiled body with one tapering terminal and one terminal formed as a stylised snake's head with simple punched detailing. 2.40 grams, 24.19 mm overall, 19.91 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)



Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.

A bronze strigil with C-section profile to the blade, rectangular handle with lateral flanges. 44 grams, 22 cm



Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998.