If you’ve ever given a lover a little token of your affection, you’re not alone—people in antiquity did it too.
Love played an instrumental role in the lives of ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. They had a multiplicity of gods and goddesses to represent all facets of love and used literary works, pottery, wall paintings, mosaics, and jewelry to express their feelings.
Brooches, cameos with carved gemstones, and golden rings with a romantic inscription or allusive drawing on the inside were particularly popular gifts among the wealthy as proof of, or a declaration of, love. These pieces of jewelry, often called “love tokens,” helped people remember those dear to them when apart and served as reminders of departed loved ones.
The Greeks often embellished precious jewelry with images of Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love and beauty) as a model for mortal women, who wore her likeness in the hope that some of her allure would rub off on them. In these depictions, Aphrodite would sometimes be accompanied by Eros (the Greek god of carnal love) and by Aphrodite’s sacred bird, the dove. On some engraved golden rings, the dove is perched on her shoulder or arm, flying nearby, or even carrying a scroll tied with a cord held in its beak, which might be a love letter.
Another common scene is “the weighing of love,” or erotostasia, in which Aphrodite balances two winged figures representing Eros. This scene resembles the petal-plucking game of “he loves me, he loves me not,” with the divine presence implying that the outcome lies outside human control.
The Romans were also fond of depicting the god and goddess of love, whom they named Cupid (or Amor) and Venus. Cupid, usually shown as an archer armed with arrows of love, is closely linked to Venus, who is sometimes regarded as his mother. In all forms of art, including jewelry, Amor often appears as multiple figures, called Amores, who engage in pursuits related to love and sex.
Not all motifs included gods. A wistful cameo in the Getty Museum’s collection features a hand pinching an earlobe between the thumb and forefinger, which signified, in Roman art and literature, a request for attention. Above the hand, a bulbous object could share a similar meaning with the modern custom of tying a knot in a handkerchief to remember something important. An inscription circling the image reads, “Remember me, your dear sweetheart, and farewell, Sophronios.”
Conveying love is only one example of the many uses of jewelry in antiquity. Jewelry was also seen as a symbol of power, status, or protection; an offering to the gods; or a form of portable wealth, like currency.
Learn more about the multiple functions of jewelry in antiquity in All That Glitters: Jewelry in the Ancient Mediterranean.
