Ancient Roman Byzantine Ornate Silver Ring AD800 Sz10 $299.99

Size 10 1/4 Genuine Ancient Roman/Byzantine Intricate and Ornate Crown-Shaped Silver Ring.

CLASSIFICATION: Ancient Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) Silver Ring with "Crown Shaped" Bezel.

ATTRIBUTION: Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople), Ninth or Tenth Century A.D.

SIZE/MEASUREMENTS: Fits ring size 10 1/4 (U.S.).

Diameter: 27mm*22 1/2mm (outer diameter); 20 1/2mm*20mm (inner diameter).

Bezel: 16 1/2mm (diameter) * 6 1/2mm (thickness).

Tapered Width Band: 6mm (at bezel) * 4mm (at sides) * 3 1/2mm (at back).

Weight: 4.51 grams.

CONDITION: Excellent! Completely intact, moderate wear consistent with sustained (ancient) usage, little porosity (surface pitting caused by contact with earth while buried). Professionally conserved.

DETAIL: A very well preserved silver ring circa ninth or tenth century A.D. As you can see, the ring is very bold, handsome, and elegant in design. The "bezel" or face of the ring is in the shape of a royal crown common to the region - very elaborate, and not unlike many of the royal crowns of Medieval and Renaissance Eastern Europe. All of the metal work exhibits very fine workmanship, and is entirely intact - though it is obvious that the ring was worn in life. There is a fair amount of wear to the bands indicating that the ring was worn frequently. The bands are a bit "crinkled" from the ordeal of burial for better than one thousand years. And as you can clearly see in the digital photo enlargements here, some of the finer embellishments have been worn to the point where small fragments are missing or have been worn through.

This ring is simply superbly preserved and restored. The crown-shaped bezel is produced from many components in high relief. In the recessed center is one large spherical bead of silver flanked by six others in an arrangement which immediately suggests a petaled flower. Each of the seven silver beads is surrounded by a very fine embellishment in the form of a twisted rope - a look even popular today with neck chains over one thousand years later. Step up from the recessed center and you have the circumferential perimeter of the round bezel delineated with a twisted rope style boundary line. Flanking the bezel are seven silver "turrets", almost like the turrets you would find built into the sides of a medieval walled city. There is some wear, as described, both to the intricately embellished bezel, as well as to the bands themselves.

Of course you must keep in mind that the ring was produced by an artisan and sold to a patron or consumer with the idea that the ring would be enjoyed and worn by the purchased. And without any regard to twenty-first century posterity, that precisely what happened! The original Roman/Byzantine owner of this ring wore it, enjoyed it, and probably never could have in his most delusional moment ever dreamed that fifty generations later the ring would still exist. You have to look very closely to see any of the telltale signs indicating the ring was buried for millennia. Most small artifacts such as this suffer extensive degradation from porosity, which is fine surface pitting caused by prolonged burial in caustic soil. This ring spent well over 1,000 years buried, yet by good fortune there is very little porosity evidenced. It happened to come to rest in very gentle soil conditions.

This is an exceptional piece of Roman/Byzantine jewelry, a very handsome artifact, eminently wearable, and even under a jeweler's loop or magnifying glass, there is little discernable degradation due to corrosion, oxidation, porosity, except for moderate wear consistent with usage. It is a quite remarkable artifact. It is an interesting historical relic which pertains not only to the history of Roman Byzantium, but also to the history of jewelry production. The ring itself is silver alloyed some minor portion of bronze. While it is not sterling silver, much like contemporary silver rings, the addition of a minor portion of base metal makes the ring more durable and resistant to wear and scratching. The ring is quite sturdy and substantial, its integrity is undiminished by the passage of time, and it has been professionally conserved.

The ring dates to a time when the Western Roman World had collapsed - plunging Western Europe into 1,000 years of darkness. But at the time, yet to confront Islam, the Eastern Roman Empire still flourished as one of the globe's great powers. The Romans and their Byzantine successors were of course very fond of ornate personal jewelry including bracelets worn both on the forearm and upper arm, brooches, pendants, hair pins, earrings intricate fibulae and belt buckles, and of course, rings. Despite the modest wear, this specimen is an exceptional piece of ancient Roman-Byzantine jewelry. It is also an evocative relic of one of the world's greatest civilizations and than ancient world's most significant military machine; the glory, might and light which was the Eastern "Roman Empire" of Byzantium, which survived over one thousand years after the fall of Rome. This ring could easily be worn and enjoyed on a daily basis for many, many years to come.

HISTORY: After gold, silver is the metal most widely used in jewelry and the most malleable. The oldest silver artifacts date from ancient Sumeria about 4000 BC. The first large-scale silver mines were in Anatolia (ancient Turkey). Around 900 B.C. Greek Athenians began producing silver from the Larium mines, and would supply most of the ancient Mediterranean world with its silver for almost 1,000 years. This ancient source was eventually supplanted by the massive silver mines found in Spain by the (Phoenician) Carthaginians (operated in part by Hannibal's family). With the defeat of Carthage by Rome, the Romans mined massive amounts of silver from Spain, stripping entire forests regions for timber to fuel smelting operations. In fact, it was not until the Middle Ages that Spain's silver mines (and her forests) were finally exhausted.

Although known during the Copper Age, silver made only rare appearances in jewelry before the classical age. Despite its infrequent use as jewelry however, silver was widely used as coinage due to its softness, brilliant color, and resistance to oxidation. It was also widely used as ornamental work and in other metal wares. In ancient cultures, especially in Rome, silver was highly prized for the making of plate ware, household utensils, and ornamental work. Silver later lost its position of dominance to gold, but, during the European Middle Ages, it once again became the principal material used for metal artwork. Large quantities of silver from the New World also encouraged eager buyers in Europe.

The art of silver work flourished in the Renaissance, finding expression in virtually every imaginable form. Silver was often plated with gold and other decorative materials. Though less costly than gold, silver was nonetheless the domain of royalty and the wealthy. Although silver sheets had been used to overlay wood and other metals since ancient Greece, an 18th-century technique of fusing thin silver sheets to copper brought silver goods called Sheffield plate within the reach of most people. At the same time the use of silver in jewelry making had also started gaining popularity in the 17th century. It was often as support in settings for diamonds and other transparent precious stones, in order to encourage the reflection of light. Silver continued to gain in popularity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and by the 20th century competed with gold as the principal metal used in the manufacture of jewelry.

The Byzantine Empire was the eastern remainder of the great Roman Empire, and stretched from its capital in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) through much of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and small portions of North Africa and the Middle East. Prior to the fifth century collapse of the Western Roman Empire, one of Rome's greatest emperors, Constantine the Great, established a second capital city for the Roman Empire in the East at Byzantium, present day Turkey. Constantine The Great sought to reunite the Roman Empire, centered upon Christian faith, by establishing a second "capital" for the Eastern Roman, away from the pagan influences of the city of Rome. Established as the new capital city for the Eastern Roman Empire in the fourth century, Constantine named the city in his own honor, "Constantinople".

After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, the "Byzantine Empire", lasted for another thousand years as the cultural, religious and economic center of Eastern Europe. At the same time, as a consequence of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, most of the rest of Europe suffered through one thousand years of the "dark ages". As the center of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was one of the most elaborate, civilized, and wealthy cities in all of history. The Christian Church eventually became the major political force in the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine art, God rather than man stood at the center of the universe. Constantine the Great is also credited with being the first Christian Roman Emperor, and was eventually canonized by the Orthodox Church. Christianity had of course been generally outlawed prior to his reign.

Under the Byzantine Empire, Christianity became more than just a faith, it was the theme of the entire empire, its politics, and the very meaning of life. Christianity formed an all-encompassing way of life, and the influence of the Byzantine Empire reached far both in terms of time and geography, certainly a predominant influence in all of Europe up until the Protestant Reformation. In Byzantine art, God rather than man stood at the center of the universe. Representations of Christ, the Virgin, and various saints predominated the coinage of the era. The minting of the coins remained crude however, and collectors today prize Byzantine coins for their extravagant variations; ragged edges, "cupped" coins, etc. Other artifacts such as rings, pendants, and pottery are likewise prized for their characteristically intricate designs.

In the ancient world valuables such as coins and jewelry were commonly buried for safekeeping, and inevitably the owners would succumb to one of the many perils of the ancient world. Oftentimes the survivors of these individuals did not know where the valuables had been buried, and today, thousands of years later caches of coins and rings are still commonly uncovered throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Throughout history these treasures have been inadvertently discovered by farmers in their fields, uncovered by erosion, and the target of unsystematic searches by treasure seekers. With the introduction of metal detectors and other modern technologies to Eastern Europe in the past three or four decades, an amazing number of new finds are seeing the light of day thousands of years after they were originally hidden by their past owners. And with the liberalization of post-Soviet Eastern Europe, new markets have opened eager to share in these ancient treasures.

SHIPPING: These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request.

Our order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington will ship your purchase within one business day of receipt of your personal check or money order. If you wish to pay electronically, we accept both PayPal and BidPay. However we ask that you PLEASE WAIT before remitting until we have mutually agreed upon method of shipment and shipping charges and you understand our PayPal limitations and policies (stated here). We will ship within one business day of our receipt of your electronic remittance.

A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."