Antik romer Bronze Ring med et pentagram-design - 18 mm (Ingen mindstepris)

Ancient Roman Bronze Ring with Pentagram Engraved Bezel

Culture / Period: Ancient Roman
Date / Period: 1st–2nd century A.D.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: Outer diameter: 18 mm
Condition: Good condition.

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 786
The current owner purchased this object from a reputable Dutch numismatic auction house in Schiedam, the Netherlands. Due to privacy regulations, the name of the previous owner could not be disclosed. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:

This Roman bronze finger ring is fitted with a circular bezel engraved with a five-pointed star, commonly referred to as a pentagram or pentangle. During the Roman Imperial period, simple engraved geometric symbols were frequently used on personal jewellery, where they could serve decorative, symbolic, or apotropaic purposes.

Although the pentagram is often associated with later traditions, it was already a well-established symbol in the ancient Mediterranean. It had been used by Greek communities from at least the Classical period and continued into Roman times, where it appeared on gems, amulets, magical texts, and personal ornaments. In Roman belief, geometric symbols were widely regarded as possessing protective qualities, intended to ward off misfortune and harmful influences. The pentagram could also represent harmony, balance, and completeness, reflecting mathematical concepts inherited from earlier Greek philosophy, particularly the Pythagorean tradition.

Bronze rings of this type were everyday possessions worn by soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and civilians throughout the Roman Empire. Unlike luxurious gold jewellery, bronze examples were affordable and practical, yet they often carried deeply personal meanings through engraved motifs chosen by their owners. Such rings have been recovered from settlements, military forts, villas, and burial contexts across the Roman provinces.

The ring was cast in bronze and finished by hand before the pentagram was carefully engraved into the bezel using fine tools. Its simple yet effective decoration reflects the skilled craftsmanship of provincial Roman workshops, where practical jewellery was produced in large quantities while allowing for individual symbolic designs.

Dating to the 1st–2nd century A.D., the ring belongs to the height of the Roman Imperial period, when artistic traditions from Greece, Italy, and the wider Mediterranean blended with local provincial craftsmanship. Geometric motifs such as the pentagram remained popular across this culturally diverse empire and were easily recognised by people from many different regions.