Gold Jewellery in Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt. Jack M
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Gold Jewellery in Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt. Jack M. Ogden ABSTRACT This study deals with the gold jewellery made and worn in Egypt during the millennium between Alexander the Great's invasion of Egypt and the Arab conquest. Funerary jewellery is largely ignored as are ornaments in the traditional, older Egyptian styles. The work draws upon a wide variety of evidence, in particular the style, composition and construction of surviving jewellery, the many repre- sentations of jewellery in wear, such as funerary portraits, and the numerous literary references from the papyri and from Classical and early Christian writers. Egypt, during the period considered, has provided a greater wealth of such information than anywhere else in the ancient or medieval world and this allows a broadly based study of jewellery in a single ancient society. The individual chapters deal with a brief historical background; the information available from papyri and other literary sources; the sources, distribution, composition and value of gold; the origins and use of mineral and organic gem materials; the economic and social organisation of the goldsmiths' trade; and the individual jewellery types, their chronology, manufacture and significance. This last section is covered in four chapters which deal respectively with rings, earrings, necklets and pendants, and bracelets and armiets. These nine chapters are followed by a detailed bibliography and a list of the 511 illustrations. Gold Jewellery in Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt. In two volumes Volume 1 - Text. Jack M. Ogden Ph.D. Thesis Universtity of Durham, Department of Oriental Studies. © 1990 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotations from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 2 JUH 991 'I am weary and vexed at enumerating the multitude of ornaments'. Clement of Alexandria, late second century AD. Volume 1 Table of contents - page i TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME 1 PREFACE................................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTERONE - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 4 THEPTOLEMAIC PERIOD.................................................................................................8 THEROMAN PERIOD........................................................................................................13 THEBYZANTINE PERIOD...............................................................................................23 CHAPTER 2- DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE .........- ....................... 26 JEWELLERY IN MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE DOCUMENTS...............................26 JEWELLERYIN wins......................................................................................................31 JEWELLERYIN PAWN DOCUMENTS..........................................................................33 LISTSOF TEMPLE PROPERTY AND OFFERINGS...................................................34 THEFTSOF JEWELLERY..................................................................................................35 CHAPTER3-GOLD .........................-..-.-.-....-..- •-........................._39 THESOURCES OF GOLD .................................................................................................39 THEAVAILABILITY AND CIRCULATION OF GOLD ............................................46 ThePtolemaic period........................................................................................................48 TheRoman period - circulation ......................................................................................51 TheRoman period - composition.................................................................................... 55 TheByzantine period - circulation.................................................................................. 57 TheByzantine period - composition................................................................................63 WEIGHTSAND VALUES...................................................................................................64 ThePtolemaic period........................................................................................................64 TheRoman period - weight denominations...................................................................66 TheRoman period - values...............................................................................................67 TheByzantine period - weight denominations...............................................................70 TheByzantine period - values..........................................................................................71 APPENDIX - The Romano-Egyptian meaning of ASEMON..........................................72 CHAPTER4- THE GEMSTONES .................................................................. 75 PEARLS ...................................................................................................................................77 EMERALDS............................................................................................................................82 GARNETS...............................................................................................................................88 OTHERGEMSTONES.........................................................................................................89 CHAPTER 5- THE JEWELLERY BUSINESS.....................•• 93 CHAPTER6-R1NGS ................................................................................................... WEARERSOF RINGS ....................................................................................................... io4 TERMINOLOGY.................................................................................................................105 CHOICESOF FINGERS....................................................................................................106 INSCRIPTIONSON RINGS...............................................................................................109 CHARACFERISTICRING TYPES FROM EGYPT....................................................112 Box-bezel rings.................................................................................................................113 Stonesettings with snake surround................................................................................115 Snakeand serpentine rings.............................................................................................116 Deitybust terminals.........................................................................................................119 • Rings with circular bezels ..............................................................................................121 Incisedamulet-rings.........................................................................................................122 Multiplebezel rings.........................................................................................................123 Raisedbusts......................................................................................................................126 Ringswith applied sheet-metal busts............................................................................126 Heraldesknot rings..........................................................................................................127 Swivel-set rings.................................................................................................................128 Multiplefmger rings........................................................................................................129 Polygonalhoop rings .......................................................................................................131 OTHERRING TYPES FOUND IN EGYPT..................................................................132 Hellenisticring types.......................................................................................................132 Romanring types.............................................................................................................136 Byzantinering types.........................................................................................................139 Magicalrings...................................................................................................................140 Betrothalrings.................................................................................................................. 142 CHAPTER7 - EARRINGS ................................................................. 145 Volume 1 Table of contents - page ü INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................145 WEARBYMEN...................................................................................................................147 MODEOF WEAR ...............................................................................................................148 GREEKANI) ROMAN TERMINOLOGY.....................................................................150 EARRINGTYPES CHARACTERISTIC OF EGYPT ..................................................I-Si Animalhead