Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

III. JEWELLERY - 2. Rings - 3. Beads

The row of patterns is placed between deeply incised double border lines. The character of the Pilismarót specimens (Nos. 67-68.) is different from the former ones: the two thinner bracelets are not decorated by circles. Its only decoration is the outer line incised much deeper than usual which, due to the thickness of the point of the tool is more plastic. It is also the especially thick point of the incising tool that differentiates the third bracelet from Pilismarót decorated by dot-circles. Here the central point of the dot-circles is far bigger and deeper than usual. (No. 69.) These bracelets were all found in a grave dated by a Valentinian coin. It is interesting that two of them are strongly calcinated. In the Collection there are three further bracelets decorated with a line of double circles; one of these was found in Nagykanizsa. (No. 70.) The arch of the bone band from Szőny is so flat that it was possibly not used as a bracelet. (No. 71.) The oblique lines dividing each double dot-circle are also unusual with bracelets — although it should be emphasized that from the bone carvings of Szőny bracelets are missing, thus, we do not know their decorative style either. 2. Rings The majority of minor bone rings were not intended for jewels. These fastening and distributing rings were already dealt with in the first chapter in detail. There are but two bone rings in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum that were used as jewels. The specimen from Dunaújváros is simple and undecorated (No. 88.) while the one of Pancsova (No. 89.) is decorated with double dot circles and bronze application as shown by the green discolouring to be observed in the round grooves. The shape of the bone rings is very similar to that of bracelets; they were made of thin bone lamellae, their height agrees with that of the bracelets and their surface was modelled with a similar dot-circle motif and with the same tools. 3. Beads The bone ornaments of the necklaces were produced in two ways. In the first case variously carved, perforated beads of bone were strung to a necklace. In the other case oval or polygonalshaped bone lamellae were applicated on a thick yarn or strap. No global beads of bone are known to us. The explanation of this phenomenon is not merely the technical problem; the character of the raw material also required more intricate shapes. As contrasted to the different glass or precious metal, etc. beads, ornaments made of bone could not be effective merely with their material. Their real beauty was given by the fineness of the shape modelled from the material. Roman beads of bone are prismatic or cylinder-shaped and judging from their perforation, they were attached on a necklace or they were hanging as pendants on the yarn. Of the two beads from Ságvár (Nos. 91, 92.) to be found in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum one is a brick-shaped piece and it was perforated longitudinally, while the other is drop shaped and its upper on the necklace. Both are covered with the square network pattern known from Late Roman combs: the beads from Dunapentele (Nos. 93., 94.) are irregular prisms with smooth surface the only decoration of the beads is the varying width of the polished sides.