​The East Yorkshire Roman Seal Ring

Period: Iron Age (c. 300 BC – 50 AD)

​Original Material: Copper Alloy

​Find Location: East Yorkshire, UK

Style: Oval bezel with an incised “intaglio” figure

Significance of the Design:

• This ring is a “pseudo-intaglio,” a style created to mimic the expensive engraved gemstones (intaglios) worn by Roman officials and the military elite. Instead of a carved stone, the image is cast or engraved directly into the copper alloy of the ring itself.

  ​The bezel features a stylized, elongated figure – likely representing a Roman deity or a victorious athlete. In the 1st and 2nd centuries, such imagery was deeply symbolic; it was believed that wearing the likeness of a god like Mars (Victory) or Mercury (Commerce) would bring the wearer their specific protection and favour. These rings served a dual purpose: they were beautiful personal adornments and functional tools used to press a unique “signature” into hot wax to seal private letters or business contracts.

The Find: 

Discovered by a detectorist in East Yorkshire, the ring shows a dark, stable patina that has preserved the central figure for nearly 2,000 years. The tapering “shoulders” of the band are characteristic of early Roman ring typology. Its presence in East Yorkshire highlights how quickly Roman culture and the legal importance of “the seal” spread from the military hubs into the surrounding British countryside.Period: Iron Age (c. 300 BC – 50 AD)

​Original Material: Copper Alloy

​Find Location: East Yorkshire, UK

Style: Oval bezel with an incised “intaglio” figure

Significance of the Design:

• This ring is a “pseudo-intaglio,” a style created to mimic the expensive engraved gemstones (intaglios) worn by Roman officials and the military elite. Instead of a carved stone, the image is cast or engraved directly into the copper alloy of the ring itself.

  ​The bezel features a stylized, elongated figure – likely representing a Roman deity or a victorious athlete. In the 1st and 2nd centuries, such imagery was deeply symbolic; it was believed that wearing the likeness of a god like Mars (Victory) or Mercury (Commerce) would bring the wearer their specific protection and favour. These rings served a dual purpose: they were beautiful personal adornments and functional tools used to press a unique “signature” into hot wax to seal private letters or business contracts.

The Find: 

Discovered by a detectorist in East Yorkshire, the ring shows a dark, stable patina that has preserved the central figure for nearly 2,000 years. The tapering “shoulders” of the band are characteristic of early Roman ring typology. Its presence in East Yorkshire highlights how quickly Roman culture and the legal importance of “the seal” spread from the military hubs into the surrounding British countryside.