RARE ROMAN GOLD TWISTED BRACELET

Ca. 100-200 AD. Roman. A rare gold bracelet made of thick, twisted gold wires with a hook clasp. Excellent condition. Jewels were particularly important for Roman women because they were their own property, not their husbands'. Thus, women could buy, sell, and bequeath their jewellery as they saw fit. They could melt down older pieces to create an updated style and even use jewellery to settle family debts. Women's jewellery also served as a visible symbol of their wealth. This is illustrated by the Roman 'Lex Oppia', which was enacted in 215 BC during the Second Punic War. This wartime legislation restricted the amount of jewellery that a woman could wear to half an ounce of gold, with the understanding that the rest would be contributed to the treasury for the protection of the state. After the war, Roman matrons led public protests that prompted the repeal of the Lex Oppia in 195 BC, and lavish jewellery was once again in fashion. Cf. Gagarin, M. (2010). 'Jewellery' in Gagarin, F., Gagarin, M., & Fantham, E. (eds). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press; Cf. S. Walker and M. Bierbrier (1997). Ancient Faces, Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt. London: British Museum Press, 176, no. 219 for the type of bracelet. Size: L:60mm / W:63mm ; 31g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly in a private collection formed in the 1980s in Germany; Published: Gorny & Mosch Auction, May 2003, lot 118, acquired in 2003.