The Roman Bracelet
Hi, I am Holly, I have been volunteering at the museum over these last few weeks. We were tasked with writing a blog post on an artefact.
I was drawn into researching the Roman bracelet as I am studying the Roman Empire at college, and it is really interesting as it gives an insight into life at the time. It is also very lucky to be able to see it close up and to have to chance to hold it. It is in very good condition considering that it is probably from anywhere from the 2nd to the 4th Century AD.
From these other examples I have been able to conclude that it is made from three pieces of twisted wire, all in similar tones. They were more than likely to be made from different copper alloys or bronze to judge from the green colour that they may possess. This is probably due to oxidation not from neglect.
The bracelet is quite well looked after as it is only lightly tarnished with some brown material that has stuck to it, which could be contamination from the area it was found or just an odd reaction it had with something in the ground. Unfortunately, as the whereabouts of its discovery are unknown it is difficult to definitively derive what the cause might be.
From the other images of pieces similar to this it is evident that one of the clasps has been broken over time. The three strands on the one end of the bracelet have been exposed and have untwisted slightly away from each other. Also, the hook that would mirror the other side is absent and was probably not found as it would be too small to find.
Due to there being no information on its discovery, I have no idea about where it was found and if it was found with anything else. However, from further research bracelets of this type have been found at domestic sites in quite large quantities, often broken, and in burial sites. Many bracelets have been found on the wrists of skeletons and show that many would have been worn at once. The practice of wearing so many may have caused the breakages as they would more than likely have hit into each other as the wearer went about their activities. It is also suggested that both men and women wore these although it has been observed more in the burial sites of women.
They would have been decorative as there is no other observable reason for people to wear them. It was probably a sign of wealth or rank as the more you could afford the more you could wear.
Yes, indeed! Thank you Holly.
In conclusion, this piece is unique in its quality as it is relatively undamaged. It is unfortunate that the origin of this piece is unknown, due to it being handed in in 1950, as it would be very interesting to gain a full insight of the piece from its surroundings. It is a useful piece non the less as it can give us an insight into domestic life which is not often thought about within the time period.