LATE ROMAN BRONZE RING WITH PENTAGRAM

Ca. AD 400 - 500. A bronze ring boasting a broad, flat-sectioned band expanding to form a bezel adorned with a pentagram and surrounded by sets of dots enclosed within a rounded incised border. In the ancient world, rings held a special significance beyond their function as mere accessories. They were often used to convey messages of power, status, and allegiance. Symbolic rings like this one served as talismans imbued with hidden meanings, decipherable only to those with the knowledge and insight to comprehend them. The pentagram is a particularly powerful and enduring symbol, even to this day. It was regarded as a symbol of mystical significance, representing the union of the divine and the earthly realms during the period. Size: D:17.73mm / US: 7 1/2 / UK: O 1/2; Weight: 5g Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1990s.