Description

Summary: 1 bezel from a silver ring of the Brancaster type dating from the late 4th or early 5th century. The design depicts two creatures with a stylised tree between them. Found near Corsham, Wiltshire.

Research results

A Roman silver finger ring bezel, found by a metal detectorist operating in Corsham. The bezel is from a rare type of late, or even post-Roman, finger ring named after Brancaster, in Norfolk, where the type was first identified. Brancaster type rings still appear to have primarily functioned as signet rings and often depict personalised motifs which may have advertised the wearer's beliefs: many are engraved with christian motifs whilst others depict mythical creatures. The engraving on this bezel may depict a branch and two birds, or a bird and fish and is likely referencing Christian imagery.

This ring was examined by Gerrard and Henig (2017) as part of their review of brancaster rings. Their study confirms the late date of the type, suggesting that the majority will have been deposited in the 5th century, and compares the type to a small corpus of continental comparanda. They tentatively identify a number of small clusters of finds, including one in and around Wiltshire, perhaps associated with a concentration of villas in the region.

This ring was examined by Marshman (2015) as part of thier PhD with the university of Leicester. This PhD undertook a survey of Roman signet rings and intaglios in Britain, criticising previous research which had discussed the objects in almost exclusively art-historical terms, in isolation of the wider archaeological evidence. They highlight that finger rings were an important part of an empire-wide metropolitan tradition due to the importance of sealing in every day tansactions and other contracts. Unlike brooches, signet rings were not a feature of Iron Age dress in Britain, and particularly in the early period appear to have been associated with the roman military and colonia, and those who wished to style themselves as 'Roman'. Wider adoption of signet rings followed in the second and third centuries, when the meaning attributed to them may have changed.