Ian J Marshman
My primary research interest is in the Roman minor arts, particularly jewellery and engraved gems. My doctoral research focused on the use of signet rings in Roman Britain, and their role in the creation and development of identities. These tiny objects give us a glimpse into the lives of ancient individuals, that is otherwise rarely possible through the study of archaeological material. The wearers of such rings chose them with conscious intent, since in both public an private life they were an important medium of expression. All manner of subjects were chosen for signet motifs to enable individuals to present many different aspects of their identities. The range of Roman imagery they carry is truly vast, being the second largest surviving, after coinage. Yet unlike coins, which were a medium of state and imperial expression, signet rings signify the ancient Roman people, as they themselves wanted to be seen.
I also have an interest in public archaeology and studying how contemporary communities engage with their material heritage. As Education & Engagement Officer at Heritage Lincolnshire I coordinate the charity's lifelong learning programme, develop its work with schools and help manage its historic sites. I also work closely with its commercial archaeology unit to develop and deliver community heritage and archaeology projects across Lincolnshire and beyond.
Address: School of Archaeology & Ancient History,
University of Leicester,
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE1 7RH
I also have an interest in public archaeology and studying how contemporary communities engage with their material heritage. As Education & Engagement Officer at Heritage Lincolnshire I coordinate the charity's lifelong learning programme, develop its work with schools and help manage its historic sites. I also work closely with its commercial archaeology unit to develop and deliver community heritage and archaeology projects across Lincolnshire and beyond.
Address: School of Archaeology & Ancient History,
University of Leicester,
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE1 7RH
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discoveries and more than doubling the material available to him. This combined body of evidence includes 2,012 signet rings and intaglios, making it one of the largest contextualised assemblages of these objects ever studied. It also benefits from the results of developer funded archaeology and the advent of recording by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, enabling us to create a richer and more detailed picture how they were used.
My approach has been to resituate these objects in terms of the archaeological context in which they were found, but also to consider them as functional as well as decorative objects. When
studied in this way signet rings provide a unique perspective on the identity of their wearers, and how they wanted to present themselves to others. I have found growing evidence for the use of signet rings amongst local elites before the Roman invasion of Britain, and it is clear that they had a role to play in negotiating identity after the conquest. I have also been able to identify trends in the way that different communities used signet rings, both as regards their imagery and materiality. It is also apparent that in
some parts of Britain these objects remained a feature of a type of dress and the hallmark of a society that remained alien to their inhabitants throughout the Roman period. However, for those who chose to wear them, signet rings could be more than just objects but reflections of themselves.
The Roman empire afforded a kaleidoscope of sensations. Through a series of multisensory case studies centred on people, places, buildings and artefacts, and on specific aspects of human behaviour, this volume develops ground-breaking methods and approaches for sensory studies in Roman archaeology and ancient history. Authors explore questions such as: what it felt like, and symbolised, to be showered with saffron at the amphitheatre; why the shape of a dancer’s body made him immediately recognisable as a social outcast; how the dramatic gestures, loud noises and unforgettable smells of a funeral would have different meanings for members of the family and for bystanders; and why feeling the weight of a signet ring on his finger contributed to a man’s sense of identity. A multisensory approach is taken throughout, with each chapter exploring at least two of the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The contributors’ individual approaches vary, reflecting the possibilities and the wide application of sensory studies to the ancient world. Underlying all chapters is a conviction that taking a multisensory approach enriches our understanding of the Roman empire, but also an awareness of the methodological problems encountered when reconstructing past experiences.
Perhaps more familiar for his work coordinating the Trust's lifelong learning courses, Ian has recently completed his doctoral research on jewellery in Roman Britain.
In this illustrated talk, Ian will discuss his research on the Roman engraved gemstones unearthed in Britain, and share some of the fascinating insights these objects can give us on the lives, loves, and beliefs of their ancient wearers. He will pay particular attention to local finds from Lincolnshire and elsewhere in the East Midlands, and discuss what they can tell us about the area's communities and styles of dress.
This lecture is free for SLHA members, and there is a £3 charge for non-member, all welcome. For more details visit the SLHA website.
discoveries and more than doubling the material available to him. This combined body of evidence includes 2,012 signet rings and intaglios, making it one of the largest contextualised assemblages of these objects ever studied. It also benefits from the results of developer funded archaeology and the advent of recording by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, enabling us to create a richer and more detailed picture how they were used.
My approach has been to resituate these objects in terms of the archaeological context in which they were found, but also to consider them as functional as well as decorative objects. When
studied in this way signet rings provide a unique perspective on the identity of their wearers, and how they wanted to present themselves to others. I have found growing evidence for the use of signet rings amongst local elites before the Roman invasion of Britain, and it is clear that they had a role to play in negotiating identity after the conquest. I have also been able to identify trends in the way that different communities used signet rings, both as regards their imagery and materiality. It is also apparent that in
some parts of Britain these objects remained a feature of a type of dress and the hallmark of a society that remained alien to their inhabitants throughout the Roman period. However, for those who chose to wear them, signet rings could be more than just objects but reflections of themselves.
The Roman empire afforded a kaleidoscope of sensations. Through a series of multisensory case studies centred on people, places, buildings and artefacts, and on specific aspects of human behaviour, this volume develops ground-breaking methods and approaches for sensory studies in Roman archaeology and ancient history. Authors explore questions such as: what it felt like, and symbolised, to be showered with saffron at the amphitheatre; why the shape of a dancer’s body made him immediately recognisable as a social outcast; how the dramatic gestures, loud noises and unforgettable smells of a funeral would have different meanings for members of the family and for bystanders; and why feeling the weight of a signet ring on his finger contributed to a man’s sense of identity. A multisensory approach is taken throughout, with each chapter exploring at least two of the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The contributors’ individual approaches vary, reflecting the possibilities and the wide application of sensory studies to the ancient world. Underlying all chapters is a conviction that taking a multisensory approach enriches our understanding of the Roman empire, but also an awareness of the methodological problems encountered when reconstructing past experiences.
Perhaps more familiar for his work coordinating the Trust's lifelong learning courses, Ian has recently completed his doctoral research on jewellery in Roman Britain.
In this illustrated talk, Ian will discuss his research on the Roman engraved gemstones unearthed in Britain, and share some of the fascinating insights these objects can give us on the lives, loves, and beliefs of their ancient wearers. He will pay particular attention to local finds from Lincolnshire and elsewhere in the East Midlands, and discuss what they can tell us about the area's communities and styles of dress.
This lecture is free for SLHA members, and there is a £3 charge for non-member, all welcome. For more details visit the SLHA website.
Few objects can rival the signet ring in its centrality within the lives of Roman elites. In traditional Roman conceptions of masculinity the only item of jewellery a man might wear was his signet ring set with an engraved gemstone. Depictions on statuary such as the bronze ‘Orator’ in Florence’s Museo Archeologico attest their importance in the proper presentation of Romanitas. The signet ring was far more than a luxury item of jewellery, and Pliny describes how “the most important transactions of life are now made to depend upon this instrument” (Nat. 33.6). Roman men of power, put their signets to everything from their household stores, to contracts, deeds, wills and personal letters. It was in these functions that almost everyone in Roman society would have encountered the imagery replicated on sealings, whether or not they owned such a ring themselves. Signets provide a unique window into the way individuals in positions of power presented their identities, not just to their peers and social betters, but also to their subordinates.
Whilst the custom of signet wearing was certainly not confined to the upper-most levels of the elite, in provincial contexts it was likely only those in positions of power, and with an inclination towards Roman ways of living, who wore these highly crafted objects. In Britain signet rings begin to appear from the late Iron Age onwards and can be linked to the leaders of tribal groups who were friendly towards Rome. With the Roman invasion in AD 43 signet rings became a tangible part of the pervading elite culture of the province, being found in forts, indigenous proto-urban settlements and the newly established colonies. Most people in Britain, however, did not adopt the practice of wearing signet rings, and as such these objects provide a useful indication of the resistance expressed in different areas.
This paper will discuss the results of a study using a newly assembled dataset of nearly 2,000 signet rings uncovered in Roman Britain with the intention of understanding the way different elite groups in provincial society presented themselves via this often-overlooked medium of material culture. Such a huge resource covering the whole island and a vast range of imagery provides a new way to study the expression of power by elite groups in the province."
There is now a growing assemblage of intaglios from known Roman sites in Britain. This paper will present the results of an investigation into where such gems were found, and what this can tell us about how they were used in the province. Whilst it is well known that such objects are found in the drains of baths, this represents just one of a wider range of circumstances of deposition. Studying intaglios contextually as archaeological objects can enable us to challenge many assumptions about their use in Roman society.
In the Roman period a signet ring was both a personal object worn upon the body and also a very public symbol of its wearer’s status, entwined with their identity and sense of self. A sensual approach to studying these objects can offer a deeper understanding of their function in society, and what they meant to the individuals who owned them. For instance gemstones were believed to possess different magical properties depending on their colour and translucency. The gleam of precious metals and the sparkle of different gem would also have had an important role in how visible they were when worn. Beyond vision, we can consider how it would have felt to wear an iron ring, for those who could not wear gold. Even the sense of taste had its part in the daily use of these objects.
Their role in sealing also meant that signet rings had the ability to extend a wearer’s authority and sense of self beyond the reaches of their senses, wherever they impressed their seal in the world around them."
Part of the session: Minima Maxima Sunt: realising the theoretical potential of Roman small finds, organised by myself and Anna Walas.
For any questions on this paper or the session you can discuss via the TRAC Community forum:
http://trac.org.uk/community/forums/topic/panel-minima-maxima-sunt/
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University of Leicester from Friday March 27th to Sunday March 29th, 2015. Proposals are
now invited for conference sessions.
Sessions are normally 3 hours 30 minutes long and consist of five presentations and a
discussion. Those wishing to organise sessions should submit an abstract of no longer than
350 words detailing the proposed topic, content and aims, together with contact details of
the chair, two confirmed speakers, and the titles of associated papers. Each confirmed
speaker included in the proposal should provide an abstract of no longer than 250 words for
his/ her presentation. Session chairs are reminded that successful session proposals will be
advertised to encourage other speakers to apply to join their session. We welcome sessions of
all kinds, but all should engage with aspects of current theory and practice in the field of
Roman Archaeology, particularly those with innovative new approaches or that are
controversial in nature. An individual call for papers and posters will follow in September,
after the sessions have been approved. All submissions will go through a peer review process.
Session proposals must be submitted by September 5th, 2014. They should be sent by email
to the organising committee: [email protected]