A first-century AD Roman gold snake bracelet was discovered on the arm of a woman who perished in Pompeii, Italy, in 79 AD due to the massive explosion of Mount Vesuvius. There is inside written ‘DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE,’ which translates to ‘From a master to his slave girl’. This is an intriguing historical artifact that illustrates the complex relationship between snake symbols and beliefs in ancient Rome. The snake is a strange animal.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden lured Eve, according to Genesis. You shall go to your belly and eat dust throughout the days of your life. Even now, there is still resonance in this potent scenario. The snake was frequently portrayed in Roman jewelry and artwork. Roman mythology held that it ensured the family’s wealth. Snakes were occasionally used to represent lares, or domestic goods. According to some scholars, the Lares were identified with tamed snakes.
During this period, the importance of Isis worship increased. All around the Roman realm, temples were constructed. There have been rumors that several temples, including Rome’s Great Isis Temple, once housed live snakes. This reptile’s cult most likely originated in Macedonia, where it was thought that animals had a mystical ability to affect fertility. This is why women wear jewelry shaped like snakes with great joy. Alexander of Abonoteichus reportedly propagated the worship of a serpent named Glycon, according to Satirist Lucian. For most of recorded history, the snake has been a formidable and enigmatic animal, frequently connected to fertility, seduction, and even mythology.
Glycon was an oracle as well. According to Lucian, the snake was only a sock puppet, and Alexander was a phony profit. But he was well-liked. In the German Wars, he gave Marcus Aurelius advice. A coin from the Emperor Antoninus Pius’s era depicts a god. More intriguingly, it was said that Plotinus, the mentor of Neo-Platonism, a mystical branch of Plato’s philosophy, died and transformed into a serpent. We are left to consider the different interpretations and beliefs surrounding this mysterious monster, as the account of Plotinus’s metamorphosis into a snake upon his death adds an intriguing magical touch to the story.
According to his disciple Eustochius, just before he passed away, the snake slithered out of his bed and vanished through a hole in the wall. This gold bracelet is a sign of the enduring power of the snake as a symbol across the millennia, as well as the rich history and convictions of the ancient world.
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