1) A stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread: this enigmatic Roman gold ring was found in a ploughed field near Silchester in 1785. The square bezel has a portrait of the pagan goddess Venus, inscribed backwards SUNEV for use as a signet ring by the owner. Curiously... pic.twitter.com/Ls0QcDVNzq
— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) July 10, 2020
Twitter user Gareth Harney brings us a fascinating tale of two artifacts that were only connected to each other many hundreds of years later. A precious gold ring depicts the goddess Venus, but the inscription proclaims it belonged to a Christian.
3)... at a temple to the mysterious British god “Nodens” 80 miles away in Lydney, Gloucestershire, a lead curse tablet (defixio) was later discovered. On the tablet a man named “Silvianus” complains that his gold ring was stolen and he suspects “Senicianus” was the culprit! ... pic.twitter.com/T50LeVRykr
— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) July 10, 2020
It’s a cold case of jewelry theft, possibly signifying the tension between old and new religions. The ring is called the Ring of Silvianus in some sources, and the Ring of Senicianus in others. What is fascinating is the possible connection between this ring and the One Ring to Rule Them All, which you can read about in the full thread at Twitter or at Threadreader. -via Metafilter