Scientists at Wardell Armstrong have discovered 30 semiprecious stones in an ancient Roman bathhouse near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle, England. Reported by The Guardian.
Archaeologists believe that the stones they found in the sewer of the bath probably fell from the sets of rings worn by those who bathed here. As the authors of the find explain, jewelers used vegetable glue, which at high temperatures stops holding the stones in the environment.
The smallest stones are about 5 millimeters in diameter, and the largest is about 16 mm. One of them is carved with an amethyst, the Roman goddess Venus holding a flower or mirror in her hand. A false satyr is carved into another jasper stone.
Scientists stated that visitors to the baths may have thought that their stones were simply stolen. Theft in baths was so common that signs bearing curses on thieves were hung in Roman bathhouses all over England.
In addition to the stones, archaeologists found 40 women’s hairpins and 35 glass beads.
Source: Gazeta
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