Ancient Hellenistic Greek Bronze Cross-Hatched Signet Ring Size 7 c. 300-100 BC For Sale

Ancient Hellenistic Greek Cast Bronze Oval Lattice Signet Ring (US Size 7 — c. 3rd–1st Century BC)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Hellenistic Mediterranean / Seleucid Sphere.

Item Specifications & Exact Dimensions

• Object: Cast Bronze Oval Signet Ring / Geometric Grid Ring

• Culture / Period: Hellenistic Greek Period

• Date Range: Circa 3rd Century BC – 1st Century BC (c. 300 – 100 BC)

• Ring Size: US Ring Size 7 (Approx. 17.3 mm inner diameter)

• Material: Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy)

• Form & Architecture: Flat oval/elliptical bezel seamlessly integrated with a slender, circular hoop; bezel face is deeply incised with a precise cross-hatched lattice / diamond-grid geometric matrix (reticulum); reverse transitions cleanly into a smooth, wearable shank

• Condition: Exceptional, 100% complete and wearable ancient condition. Structural integrity intact, crisp incised grid pattern preserved under an authentic dark chocolate-olive patina with light sandy-tan calcareous burial deposits accentuating the engraved lines. Free of modern restoration or tooling.

Hellenistic Geometric Aesthetics & Grid Motifs

Following the conquests of Alexander the Great, Hellenistic metalwork synthesized classical Greek elegance with Near Eastern geometric precision. Diamond-grid and cross-hatched (reticulated) patterns on ring bezels served a dual purpose: functioning as decorative marks of cosmic order and mathematical symmetry, while offering an apotropaic "net" motif believed to entangle and neutralize negative energy or curses.

Merchant Signets & Administrative Utility

In Hellenistic trading centers across the Aegean, Levant, and Eastern Mediterranean (such as Rhodes, Antioch, and Alexandria), merchants used distinct geometric signet rings to mark clay amphora stoppers, storage jars, and trade documents. The deep cross-hatching produced a distinct, raised lattice seal impression in wet clay or wax, creating an official signature that was virtually impossible to duplicate or counterfeit.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

• Primary Class: Hellenistic Greek Personal Equipment / Bronze Signet Ring

• Sub-Class: Oval Bezel Cross-Hatched / Reticulated Grid Class

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• British Museum (Accession No. 1917,0501.1): Hellenistic bronze ring with incised geometric bezel pattern.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 74.51.4210): Hellenistic copper alloy ring with cross-hatched signet face.

• Ashmolean Museum, Oxford: Hellenistic Greek bronze finger rings with geometric intaglios and lattice patterns.