Six Roman to Byzantine Bronze Bracelets

Mediterranean, Roman to Byzantine Empire. A group of six hand-formed bracelets, each a slender hoop of leaded bronze drawn from a single rod and bent into a near-circle. Most are penannular, their tapered terminals stopping just short of meeting so the band could be sprung open across the wrist; others close in a lapped or abutting join. Sections vary from round to slightly flattened or faceted, and the shafts carry gentle undulations and irregular ovals from long wear and burial compression. Surfaces have oxidized to mottled green and brown cuprite, with earthen deposits still lodged in the crevices. Plain personal ornaments of this kind were the everyday jewelry of the Roman and early Byzantine provinces, worn singly or stacked, and produced in enormous quantity by provincial workshops for both women and children. Leaded bronze was the workhorse alloy of Roman provincial metalworking. Adding lead to the copper-tin mix lowered the melting point and improved flow in the mold, which mattered less for a simple drawn rod than for cast work, but the alloy was cheap and abundant, and scrap-recycling workshops turned it out by the ton. The penannular form endured for centuries with almost no change: an open hoop needs no clasp, no hinge, and no fitting to a particular wrist, which is precisely why it survives from Britain to Syria across the Roman Imperial and early Byzantine horizons. Dating a plain example on typology alone is notoriously difficult, and grouped lots such as this one often span several hundred years. Please note that these bracelets contain about 5 to 21% lead and are not recommended for wear. Item # 204594

Estimate:$350

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