gems, jewelry, ancient jewelry, archaeology, archaeogemolgy, Rome, Byzantine, glyptic, engraved gems

Little is known about the jewelry of the Late Roman to Early Byzantine period. Although precious ornaments must have played a significant role in the conspicuous display of wealth and the luxurious lifestyle that characterized Late Roman society, relatively little gold jewelry from this time has survived. Coined gold and jewels were often distributed as imperial gifts to loyal retainers and the leaders of barbarian tribes who controlled the empire’s borders. Gold jewelry symbolized the private wealth and social rank of its owner; however, much of the gold was apparently melted down and reused, while the precious gems and pearls were reset. The majority of surviving Late Roman and Early Byzantine jewelry lacks known provenance and precise dating. Most of our knowledge of jewelry from this period comes from a few larger hoards with recorded findspots but no external dating evidence. Fortunately, in 1983, the Getty Museum acquired a group of fifteen pieces of jewelry believed to have been buried around A.D. 400. As all items shared a similar patina, there is little doubt they were found together. The pieces are in very good condition, aside from a few missing pearls. Although nothing is known about the hoard’s prior history and no corresponding treasure has been documented as excavated in recent times, there are indications suggesting it originated from the eastern part of the Roman Empire.