Ave!
Ring, Roman, Roosters Intaglio, ca. 2nd-3rd Cent, Rare!
Copper alloy; 2.8gm, Ring size 6 1/2
Con/ As Cast and Engraved; Certainly wearable, this unisex ring needs a happy finger.
Description/ Cast as one piece and then engraved, two roosters facing each other within an oval bezel.
Seller's Note/ The engraved Roosters on the bezel of this ring can be clearly seen in the photo and imprint. We have no doubt that it was used as a personal signet used to seal letters and documents. As to who wore it..? Let's back up a bit, shall we?
In the Greek and Roman worlds, the figure of the rooster was frequently associated with gods such as Asclepius, Minerva, and Mars, and represented different aspects of their personalities or spheres of influence, such as healing, readiness, and pugnacity. Nevertheless, the god most often portrayed with a rooster is Mercury, a central character in trade and communication: he was not only the divine messenger but also represented the means and ways of communication. Mercury was the connection between different levels of existence, as they were understood at the time: divine, mortal, and afterlife. In other words, he was an entity at the limits in every sense. No one was more suited to this role: he was born at dawn, between night and day; he was a thief and a gambler, but also a merchant and a gifted musician; excess and moderation in a single god. Probably for these reasons, he was also the chaperon of souls, and the rooster is one of his totemic animals: it is fierce and smart, and, above all, it too knows the borderlines, because it announces the rising sun with its voice, obliterating darkness.
As to whom may have worn this spectacular, and extremely rare Roman ring, a man or a woman, is moot. Fingers were smaller in those days, right? Could have been either. What? Why would a Roman lady wear a ring with roosters on it? Well, those same ladies worn hair pins with roosters, so why not a ring? Click here and here for two examples.
Wear this ring for the blessings from Mercury, Asclepius, Minerva, and Mars!
