Roman Bird Brooch with Enamel, Silver

Roman Bird Brooch with Enamel

Roman brooch in the shape of a bird. The brooch is decorated with multicoloured glass inlays of genuine enamel and has an eyelet at the back end. This indicates an original method of wearing, where two brooches were connected with an intermediate chain. The original dates from the 2nd century and was found during excavations on the site of a Roman temple complex in Mainz. The sanctuary was dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and Magna Mater.

Roman animal brooches, especially in the shape of fish or birds, were very popular in the provinces from the 1st to the 3rd century. The animals depicted, and thus also the jewellery, probably had symbolic significance. While the early animal brooches were mostly decorated with simple ornaments only, colourful inlays made of enamel increasingly came into fashion in the 2nd century.