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Ancient finger rings made of base metals and low-grade silver alloys are increasingly being unearthed and sold through a growing assortment of marketplaces worldwide. Reference material on ancient rings has focused mainly on historic and "high-end" pieces--the precious metals and stones of royalty and the wealthy--while little has been written on the evaluation of common rings. This guide describes their composition, structure and imagery, thus providing merchants, collectors and researchers with a comprehensive reference on these ancient artifacts that, until now, have gone unexamined.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Avenues for Exploration
Part I: The Basics
A Brief History of Ring Collecting
Terminology
Materials Used
Decorative Additions
Part II: Important Issues
Ring Types
Availability
Difficulties in Identification and Dating
The Identification Process
The Dating Process
Ethical Issues
The Proliferation of Fake Antiquities
Part III: Historical Periods and Styles
Dating Conventions
Neolithic Period
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Judaism
Classical Antiquity
Medieval Period
Islam
Byzantium
The Renaissance
The Modern Period/Industrial Age
Part IV: Universal Symbols
The Recurrence of Common Symbols
Additional Ancient Symbols: The Vinca Pictograms
Part V: Ring Types by Period
Bronze and Iron Ages
Persian Empire
Greco-Roman Antiquity
Greek Rings
Roman Rings
Byzantine Period
Medieval and Renaissance Periods
Viking-Era and Later Baltic Designs
The Modern Period/Industrial Age
Part VI: Cleaning and Conservation
Silver Rings
Copper, Bronze and Brass Rings
Epilogue
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
T.N. Pollio is a researcher and historian who lives in East Haven, Connecticut.
