Ancient Roman Silver Ring with Serapis, Circa 1st Century AD

Substantial silver ring with hoop with angled shoulders with fluting; inset with a polished possibly later intaglio with the bust of Serapis set into a gold frame ; 32.40 rams, 29.90 max external diameter, 20.80 mm max inner diameter. Very fine condition. From the collection of EU gentleman, acquired in Germany in the 1990s..Currently in UK private collection. The man responsible for the creation of Serapis was Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great?s most capable generals, and the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty.The name of this god is said to have been a fusion of the Egyptian deity Osiris and the sacred Apis bull. Prior to the coming of the Ptolemies, the cults of these two deities had already merged and a combined god, Serapis, was worshipped by the Egyptians. Serapis may be said to have represented the essence of ancient Egyptian religion at the time. Thus, by using these deities as the core of Serapis, the Egyptian subjects of Ptolemaic Egypt could easily identify familiar elements in the new deity.

Weight: 32.41 g