The History of Jewellery: Ancient Roman Jewelry

The ancient Romans began as an agricultural community living in the central Italian region of Tuscany (near present-day Rome), during the same period as the Etruscans, who were also inhabitants of western Tuscany until around 500 BC. Legend has it that the "Roman Kingdom" was founded in 753 BC by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who were descended from the Trojan prince Aeneas of Greco-Roman mythology.

The Roman Kingdom lasted from 753 BC to 509 BC, when the last Roman King from the Tarquin monarchy, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (Unknown—496 BC), was overthrown by Lucius Junius Brutus who became one of the first consuls of the "Roman Republic." The Republic began to disintegrate with the appointment of Gaius Julius Caesar (100 BC—44 BC) as dictator for life, and formally ended after the war between Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) and Octavian (aka Gaius Octavius Thurinus, or Caesar Augustus) at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. After the defeat, both Mark Antony and his lover Cleopatra VII—queen of Ptolemaic Egypt—committed suicide. The Roman Empire was established in 27 BC, and lasted only 500 years before collapsing in 476 AD.

Early Roman Jewelry

The Romans used a diverse selection of materials in their jewelry due to the accessibility of a wide variety of natural resources found across the European and Mediterranean continents which were under their dominion. They also had an extensive network of trade, which gave them access to exotic materials and precious gemstones that traveled along the ancient Silk Road from Persia, the Indus Valley, India and the Far East.

Many of the jewelry accessories seen throughout ancient Rome had functional, as well as decorative value. One of the most common jewelry item of early Rome was the brooch, which was used to secure clothing items. Another utilitarian jewelry design that was common throughout Roman history was the fibula, which was an ornately decorated clothing accessory resembling a large safety pin that was used as a clothing fastener. The fibula was often embellished with a glyptic cameo or intaglio of a female bust, or a winged Victory carving.

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