Finger Ring c. mid to early 3th century

This iridescent finger ring was crafted in the ancient Levant from glass. In assessing this ring, historians delve into the economic structures of the time. Glassblowing technology was sophisticated in the ancient Levant and rings such as this one have been found in burial sites. Rings can be used to mark the difference between the living and the dead. Was this ring meant to be worn in life? Was it meant to be buried with the owner after death? Does the iridescence of the glass have symbolic meaning? Historians study burial rituals and archaeological records to understand how ancient cultures perceived death and the afterlife. In this way we may begin to interpret the meaning of this object within its original social context.