The Roman “Gems’ Code”: the Material Semantics of Precious Stones in Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, Book 37 (15 min)

Presenters

Chiara Ballestrazzi, University of Pisa

Abstract

Among the myriads of natural products discussed in the Natural History, Pliny acknowledges gemstones as the major expression of nature’s majesty and creativity. Regardless of their artistic elaboration, in Roman antiquity the materiality of gems was invested with a wide range of aesthetic and symbolic meanings.

Book 37 offers a unique insight into the attitude toward precious stones in early Imperial Rome. A careful analysis of Pliny’s discussion allows us to decode a sophisticated “semantic system” according to which some gemstones were preferentially intended for specific customers and uses. Apparently, this system was grounded in the physical, chemical, and aesthetic qualities of the minerals themselves and developed on a practical level some oppositions deep-rooted in the materiality of gems: exoticism versus tradition, womanliness versus manliness, and Greekness versus Romanness. In particular, some gems were specifically meant for women’s jewelry, while others were traditionally set into the signet rings of Roman men. Other gems had come into vogue more recently, and in Pliny’s time still suggested a nostalgic link with the Greek past.

The decoding of the material semantics of Roman gems made possible by book 37 and corroborated by other literary and material sources will provide new and unexpected keys to the interpretation of a class of materials usually very poor in contextual data and will remarkably enrich our approach to ancient gemstones and, more broadly, to Roman material culture. Combined with the traditional foci of glyptic studies, the deep understanding of the material semantics of gems can provide exceptional insights into their owners’ gender, political and cultural aspirations, and fashion tastes.

  AIA-2A