Attention: due to customs regulations we can only ship inside the European Union. Please ensure you have a valid EU shipping address before placing a bid. Collection of five ancient Roman faience melon beads. Each bead is decorated with pronounced vertical ribbing and varies slightly in shape, reflecting their individual manufacture. Diameter: range ± 20,7 - 15,7 mm Condition: good and solid condition, wearable. The surfaces retain traces of the original blue-green glaze, now partly obscured by earthen deposits, discolouration and weathering. -> Such beads were strung as elements of necklaces, bracelets and other personal ornaments. Certificate of Authenticity (PDF) is available upon request for all lots with a hammer price of €100 or higher. -> Melon-shaped faience beads are known from ancient Egypt from at least the New Kingdom, while related examples continued to be used across the Mediterranean and in later European cultures. -> Faience was very popular and widely used in ancient Egypt. The earliest evidence of faience production was discovered in a 7500 year old workshop near the temple in Abydos. The production and style of faience changed through Egyptian history. Different colourants were used for aesthetic and symbolic purposes, or to imitate the more expensive and rare semi-precious gemstones like turquoise, carnelian, lapis lazuli, garnets or obsidian. As faience was more available than semi-precious gemstones it became a popular and widely used material for small objects like scarabs and other forms of amulets, beads, jewellery, small size statuettes, cosmetic vessels and ritual objects. During the Roman era, the technique and its products spread throughout the wider Mediterranean world. This versatile material continued to be appreciated for its vivid colour, lustrous surface and resemblance to precious stone. Faience continued to be used for jewellery and personal ornaments, with blue-green ribbed ‘melon beads’ becoming a particularly recognisable Roman form.