Post Roman Ring with Inscription
6th-7th century A.D. A bronze finger ring with raised ellipsoid bezel, the shoulders decorated with engraved foliage, on the bezel incised in Greek letters the inscription '???? ????' (written backwards). Cf. Hadjadj, R., Bagues Merovingiennes - Gaul du Nord, Paris, 2007, item 454, for type. 4.33 grams, 23.12 mm overall, 21.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U 1/2, USA 10 1/4, Europe 23.15, Japan 22) (1 in.). Acquired in the late 1990s-2000.Property of an East London gentleman. The ring corresponds to the 1d type of Hadjadj's classification. The Greek inscription is probably a barbaric interpretation of '???? ????' (kind-hearted). The Merovingian typology of the ring suggests a late Roman product under the Roman-Barbarian kingdoms of Gaul or the Iberian Peninsula.