The History of Jewellery | Early Roman Jewelry
Ancient Roman Jewelry
The ancient Romans used a diverse range of materials for their jewelry due to their access to a wide variety of natural resources across the European and Mediterranean continents. The most common jewelry item of early Rome was the brooch, which was used to secure clothing together. A popular style of jewelry invented by the Romans was gold hemispheres fashioned into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings (above left). The drawing of Roman jewelry to the right (above) is from Albert Racinet's book "Le Costume Historique 1878."
Although the Romans often used gold in their jewelry, they also used bronze set with bone and glass beads. Pearls were particularly prized. The engraving of Roman jewelry to the left (below) is from "Gems of Nature and Art," by B. Fawcett, published in London by Groombridge and Sons (1880).
The gold necklace below was found in Pompeii and is set with emeralds and pearls. The example to the far right is a natural pearl, emerald plasma (chalcedony), and gold necklace from the old Roman Empire (500 BC to 100 AD), which is in the British Museum in London.
Most early Roman jewelry resembled Greek and Etruscan jewelery. New motifs were developed or derived from other cultures and remained well-established throughout Roman times. An example which was influenced by the Egyptians is the Herakles knot, with its Apotropaic (amulet and talisman) character to ward off evil. Another borrowing from Egypt was the Isis crown, which adorned earrings during the second century B.C. Another important development was the hoop earring, appearing around 330 BC, with a finial in the form of animal heads, maenads, negroes or a full figure of Eros. Cameo portraits were also worn as rings and pendants (below).
Gold bracelets were often fashioned in the form of coiling snakes (below left). While Roman women wore a wide variety of jewelry, the men often wore only a finger ring (although they were expected to wear at least one ring). Rings were made with carved stone or gold, and were used wax to seal important documents with wax (below). The gold coin ring below features a portrait of emperor Marcus Aurelius (121 AD to 180 AD).
Upper-class Roman women wore a considerable amount of jewelry. One design that persisted throughout Roman history was the fibula, a pin that resembled a safety pin and was used as a clothing fastener. The fibula was often very ornately decorated as Roman clothing was frequently pinned rather than sewn. The fibula was often embellished with a cameo of a female bust or a winged Victory intaglio carving.
The encaustic (hot wax painting) paintings shown above are known as 'Fayum Mummy Portraits'. They are on the casket or "sarcophagus" of the deceased. They depict well-to-do Roman women adorned with their finest traditional clothing and jewelry. The deceased is depicted at a relatively young age regardless of the age at death.
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Bibliography & Suggestions for Further Study on Ancient Jewelry
1. John Tsangarides, Ancient Roman Jewellery  . Hadrians.Com
2. Luna Nuova, Etruscan Jewelry . www.lunanuova.com
3. Otto J Brendel, Etruscan Art. New Haven,Yale University
4. Bonfante, Larissa, Etruscan Life and Afterlife. Wayne State University Press
5. Oppi Untracht, Jewelry Concepts & Technology - Complete Reference Guide . Doubleday
6. Dean Wukitsch, Etruscan Granulation and Filigree . www.mmdtkw.org
7. Wikipedia, History of Etruscan Jewellery . wikipedia.org
8. F Borrelli, M Cristina Targia, S Peccatori, The Etruscans . Getty Trust Publications
9. Crystalinks, Clothing in Ancient Roman . www.crystalinks.com
10. Barbara F. McManus, Roman Clothing & Jewelry . www.vroma.org
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