Buried with ingots of gold (1991.75.92.5, 1991.75.92.6), this bracelet was part of a goldsmith's cache discovered in Rome. The pieces found (1991.75.92.1, 1991.75.92.2.1, 1991.75.92.2.2, 1991.75.92.4.a-b) date to the 1st century BCE, and nicely illustrate the transition from Hellenistic to Roman jewelry. The group is impressive for its total weight of nearly 746 grams, and it also allows a rare glimpse into the work of a Roman goldsmith. This bangle bracelet with incised decoration has been embellished with a herringbone pattern.

Adapted from

Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 108; 144.

• In ancient Greece, bracelets were always and only worn in pairs.