K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 2001/6. (Veszprém, 2001)
FACSÁDY, R. ANNAMÁRIA: Roman Gold Jewelry in the „Laczkó Dezső" Museum, Veszprém - A veszprémi Laczkó Dezső Múzeum római aranyékszerei
gold wire is not only reminiscent of the open work technique which reached the peak of its popularity in the 3 rd c, but also belongs to the ring type forming a perforated lettering. The use of the wavy gold wire turns up occasionally on 3 rd c. jewelry 19 , too, but with a more complex finish. The ring type made with a filigree and pseudo-filigree technique was wide-spread and well-known both in the western provinces and in Pannónia. Its almost spheral head and shoulder formed from filigree wire, decorated with variously shaped spirals, was also common in the 3 rd c. It is strongly reminiscent of the robust open work shouldered type of rings 20 . The lace-like effect was achieved by pierce-sawing the gold plate, so that, the construction was more complex, requiring more skill. The creation of a similarly lively surface was the result of the use of filigree and sometimes pseudo-filigree wire technique. This technique involved bending the wire in spirals, forming different patterns. Still, this method was simpler, harder to "spoil" during the piercing. Such a surface would have been broken by the larger surface of the granulated beads. This fashion may be related to a further development of the open work technique. Because of the work outlay involved in making such jewellry, they were probably more easily available and cheaper. They turn up some time towards the end of the 3 rd c. and were widely used in the 4 th-5 th cc. Pieces are known from Britannia to Pannónia. We know two pieces from Intercisa 21 , both of which have settings surrounded by twisted patterns. The double spiral "S" on the shoulders becomes progressively narrower on the body. The specimen from Dunapentele, now kept in Mainz, was dated to the 2 nd-3 rd cc. by Deppert-Lippitz, without any commentary. The Hungarian National Museum owns a purchased piece of unknown provenance. 22 Gesztelyi dated it to the 4 th c. A Gallic piece with a more decorated head but a more simple body than the piece from Baláca, is known as a piece from a find collection from the end of the 3 rd c, with an unknown find location, came to the Museum by purchase, as well 23 . Similar ones are also held in the collections of German museums. 24 , while some others are known from Britannia. The hoard, which came to light in Thetford, included three, almost identical, well manufactured pieces 25 . Given the manufacturing techniques used to produce them, the jewelry, except for the Somlójenő ring, were probably productions of Pannonian workshops, despite the wide-spread formal analogies to them found elsewhere in the Empire. 26
