Roman gems from Castleford

Six assorted Roman gemstones featuring designs of animals and deities

Roman gems from Castleford

(Article originally written in 2013)

Over the years, excavations at Castleford have produced some real gems. Ian Marshman came to examine six Roman engraved gemstones from Castleford in 2013. It was part of his PhD at the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester.

Gems like these were worn in finger rings. They were used to seal important documents and provisions. They were highly valued objects to the people who wore them.

The stones themselves would have travelled thousands of miles to end up in Castleford. Some came from as far away as India and Sri Lanka.

These six gems formed part of Ian’s survey of these objects from right across Roman Britain. Ian was studying the way people chose different images for their seals in different parts of the Roman province, and how this might have changed across time.

Every gem was someone’s personal seal. They can tell us a lot about the ancient people who owned them.

Two of the Castleford gems have engravings unique in Roman Britain.

The first is a red jasper engraved with the image of a hunting dog seizing its quarry (possibly a hare, but this part of the gem is chipped). Hunting was a popular pastime for wealthy people in the Roman period. An image of a fine hound like this would have highlighted its owner’s interest in this prestige activity.

The second gem still remains in its silver ring. It is engraved with the image of a Roman-style lamp. Lamps like this were not very common in Roman Britain. They required imported olive oil for fuel. It is possible that this ring came from the Mediterranean region where such lamps were more common. In the Mediterranean, it would have been understood as a symbol of hope.

Castleford's Roman gems - a rich assortment of images and styles

The other Castleford gems are also very interesting. One shows a parrot. Parrots originated, like some of the gems, in India. The Romans associated parrots with Bacchus, the god of wine. They were also kept as exotic pets by the wealthy.

Another gem, a pale blue chalcedony, shows the king of the gods, Jupiter. This is the only glass ‘gem’ from Castleford in our collection. It is moulded with a crude image of a warship full of soldiers carrying shields. Did this depict the invasion of Britain back in AD 43?

Perhaps the best of the gems so far uncovered at Castleford shows a satyr. Satyrs were a mythical part-man-part-goat creature. The satyr is using a bunch of grapes to tease a dog, who leaps up to try to devour them. This playful and naturalistic scene is incredibly finely cut on a carnelian gem less than 1 cm across.

Tiny gems like these remind us of the great skill of craftspeople in the Roman period. They provide us with a tangible link with the ancient people who wore them on their fingers everyday.