Silver Spiral Rings in Iron Age Scotland: A Case Study in Material Efficacy (20 min)

Presenters

Jenna R. Martin, Cornell University

Abstract

I present an object trajectory of spiral rings in Iron Age Scotland, focusing mainly on the smaller subset of third–fifth century silver rings. How were these rings produced, used, and distributed throughout the region? I use material efficacy as an analytical position to consider how silver—in addition to humans and institutions—helped to shape large-scale historical trajectories in Iron Age Scotland through human-object collaborations. Roman silver entered Scotland as imperial matter beginning in the first century C.E. and later inspired an assemblage of indigenous wearable silver in the fourth–fifth centuries C.E. In this paper, I show how silver’s material properties and entanglements played a role in the developmental trajectory of spiral rings and other early silver products in Scotland. Around the fourth century, a diversity of spiral rings was replaced by a specific style of silver spiral (likely, male) finger ring. Ultimately, silver brought to Iron Age Scotland by the Romans inspired and afforded individuals in northern Britain a new and empowering regional sociopolitical identity.