Ring

RING, a band of circular shape, made of any material and for various purposes, but, particularly, a circular band of gold, silver or other precious or decorative material used as an orna ment, not only for the finger, but also for the ear (see EAR-RING), or even for the nose, as worn by certain races in India and Africa.

Egyptian Rings.

The earliest existing rings are those found in the tombs of ancient Egypt. The finest examples date from about the XVIII. to the XX. Dynasty; they are of pure gold, simple in design, very heavy and massive, and have usually the name and titles of the owner deeply sunk in hieroglyphic char acters on an oblong gold bezel. Rings worn in Egypt by the poorer classes were made of less costly materials, such as silver, bronze, glass or pottery covered with a siliceous glaze and coloured brilliant blue or green with various copper oxides. Some of these had hieroglyphic inscriptions impressed while the clay was moist. Other examples have been found made of ivory, amber and hard stones, such as carnelian. Another form of ring used in the XII. and subsequent dynasties of Egypt had a scarab in place of the bezel, and was mounted on a gold hoop which passed through the hole in the scarab and allowed it to revolve.

Cylinders.

In ancient Babylonia and Assyria the signet took the form of a cone seal or of a cylinder cut in crystal or other hard stone and perforated from end to end. A cord was passed through the cylinder, and it was worn on the wrist like a bracelet.

Within the limits necessarily imposed by its purpose the finger ring assumed a considerable variety of form, according to its date and place of origin.

In the Cretan and Mycenaean periods a characteristic form of ring had a broad flat bezel, not organically connected with the hoop, and having an incised design in the gold. The use of inset stones hardly occurs, but rings from Enkomi and Aegina of the late Mycenaean period have inset paste decorations.

The Phoenician type of ring was primarily intended to carry a scarab or scarabaeoid, usually in a box setting on a swivel, called for by the fact that the flat base of the scarab would be wanted for sealing purposes, but in wear would be most con veniently turned inwards. Strength being necessary, the hoop

became massive. A similar arrangement of the signet-scarab is found attached to a twisted ring, which, from its shape, must have been meant to be suspended, and which is shown thus worn on some of the Cypriote terra-cottas.

The Greek ring of an early period has a characteristic flattened bezel, for an intaglio design in the gold. An alternative form was a swivel ring for a scarab or scarabaeoid.

Etruscan Rings.

The Etruscans used very largely the gold swivel ring mounted with a scarab, a form of signet probably in troduced from Egypt. Some found in Etruscan tombs have real Egyptian scarabs with legible hieroglyphs; others, probably the work of Phoenician or native engravers, have rude copies of hieroglyphs, either quite or partially illegible. A third and more numerous class of Etruscan signet rings have scarabs, cut usually in sard or carnelian. One from Etruria, now in the British Mu seum, is formed by two minutely modelled lions whose bodies form the hoop, while their paws hold the bezel, a scarab engraved with a lion of heraldic character. An alternative type of Etruscan ring has an incised design on the gold bezel, or a flat stone set in the rigid bezel.

Roman Rings.—The Romans appear to have imitated the simplicity of Lacedaemonia. Throughout the republic none but iron rings were worn by the bulk of the citizens, and even these were forbidden to slaves. Ambassadors were the first who were privileged to wear gold rings, and then only while performing some public duty. Next senators, consuls, equites and all the chief officers of state received the ius annuli aurei. In the Augustan age many valuable collections of antique rings were made, and were frequently offered as gifts in the temples of Rome. One of the largest and most valuable of the dactyliothecae was dedicated in the temple of Apollo Palatinus by Augustus's nephew Marcellus (Pliny, H .N xxxvii. 5).