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2000 year old sapphire ring worn by Caligula
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2000 year old sapphire ring worn by Caligula
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View Reddit by Giant_Orb – View Source
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That’s amazing craftsmanship.
You wonder how a thing like that goes from then to now and we can say with confidence it was Caligula’s. I’m not at all saying that’s wrong. I’m just standing in quiet awe that something this precious survived from then to now with its ~~providence~~ provenance intact.
Edit: I get it. It’s a made up provenance.
Is that legit? Or some sort of “For sale on amazon” scam?
This *might* have been worn by Caligula. This was in the [Wartski Collection](https://wartski.com/4696-2/).
Wartski had listed it as “once catalogued as belonging to the Emperor Caligula” and further added that “during the 17th Century, the ring was believed to have belonged to the Emperor Caligula himself”.
According to the Wartski IG account:
> From Wartski @wartski1865 past exhibition Multum in Parvo: A Collection of Engraved Gems
> Among the treasures on display there was this extraordinary carved sapphire ring, engraved with a portrait of the Empress Faustina.
> Previously in the collections of the Earl of Arundel and the legendary Duke of Marlborough, it is an exceptionally rare masterpiece.
> During the 17th Century, the ring was believed to have belonged to the Emperor Caligula himself.
> The carving of sapphires during the Renaissance was considered a particularly high art form. Not only were sapphires regarded as immensely precious and beautiful, they were also notoriously difficult to carve.
[Here](http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/56580) provides the following additional information:
> An ancient Roman sapphire ring once believed to have belonged to the Emperor Caligula is being sold by royal jewelers Wartski, best known as the foremost dealers and experts in the Fabergé Imperial Eggs and jewels after the fall of the Romanovs. It is an engraved sapphire hololith, meaning a ring carved from a single stone, with a gold band mounted on the inside, likely during the Middle Ages. The engraving is a left-facing profile of a beautiful woman believed to represent Caligula’s wife Caesonia.
> The ring was in the famed intaglio gemstone collection assembled by George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, in the second half of the 18th century. Before that, it was part of a smaller but also renown group of engraved gems collected by Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in the first half of the 17th century. Via marriage and descent, Lord Arundel’s gemstone collection was added to the extremely fine pieces the Duke of Marlborough had bought from dealers and private owners on the continent.
> The Marlborough Gems, as the great collection became known, were sold by the 7th Duke, John Winston Spencer-Churchill, at auction in 1875 to raise money for the renovation of Blenheim Palace. Many of them were bought by David Bromilow, Esq, and then sold again by his daughter at an 1899 auction. The collection was thus broken up and dispersed — the Getty dropped major ducats on a dozen or so of them earlier this year — and there are Marlborough gems whose whereabouts are unknown today. This ring was one of them.
I didn’t know they had “Things Remembered” 2000 years ago
That’s beautiful!!!!!
“Well Senator, if you think the ring on my hand is quite striking just wait until you see my other ring. Try not to be distracted by the magnificent appendage where it resides. I am, after all, a God so one should expect all aspects of my personage to reduce mortals to a state of awe.”
“I’ve put my horse, Giganticus, in charge of managing all my non hand rings. We share several things in common, with one particularly impressive attribute to be sure, so I trust him to understand my requirements. Giganticus and I share, as a result of the efforts of the Fates I am certain, the same ring size so I am able to save the public purse strain by needing only the one size commissioned for us both.”
“So you see, Senator, I am the very source of wonder in such a dull world. I insist that you dine with myself and Giganticus this very evening. Your interest in rings will be well satisfied I assure you. An evening with a God is never dull and Giganticus is a splendid model for the displaying of my many rings.”
“Of course, I’ll have to insist you compare those rings worn by Giganticus and those worn by myself. Giganticus is such a competitive soul that having the rings examined, handled, and manipulated by a truly impartial judge would ease his mind regarding which of us makes the most magnificent display. I’ll send my guards around to collect you just after the twelfth hour. Wear something loose. Giganticus can’t stand stand tight clothing.”
I bet that would cost money to buy.
Tales told, of battles won. The things we’ve done… Caligula world grin
Worn on his…
“2000 year old
sapphire ring worn by caligula? oh that’s riiich”
That looks uncomfortable
Thats a cool looking ring. It was worn by a psychopath and probably was up someone’s ass, but its a cool looking ring.
That ring seems thick enough to be really uncomfortable to wear
Reminds me of the time my coworker showed everyone a wedding ring made out of rock. I must have a brain fart that day cause I was genuinely curious about how they bend rock to make rings.
I read this as “ring worm” for a second…
Even if it wasn’t worn by Caligula and is a complete fake it’s absolutely dope.
This look fantastic.
I wonder what are these stats, probably not wisdom.
Whenever I see a remarkable ancient piece like this, I wonder about the provenance. There is not a moment in the last 2000 years when ANY human on the planet would not have looked on this ring with awe, including the era in which it was created. Even Caligula himself must have found it breathtaking.
So has it been passed down from owner to owner for the last 2000 years, or was it somehow lost, and then dug up by some archeologist while excavating a buried Roman mansion?
I’d love to know the story behind it.
I don’t remember ever wearing any.. *Oh*, ***Caligula***, right. Sorry.
If history is correct that ring has seen things…
worn by Caligula?
​
i hope someone sterilized that thing
This is a sapphire ring. All craftdwarfship is of the highest quality.
Rick : Lets settle for 20 bucks, my final offer.
+100 power
-100 charisma
Induces insanity.
+10 to mana
You don’t want to know where this ring has been.
There’s a 1700-year gap in provenance on this ring where the “trust me bro” side of it comes into play. To date not a single verified personal possession of any Roman Emperor has ever been discovered.
There’s really only one way something like this could be definitively linked to Caligula. And that’s if it were to be found in his tomb.
No historians actually believe this ring belonged to Caligula. But if you do please contact me I have some other items you may be interested in purchasing.
Edit: spelling