RINGS
I
THE ORIGIN, PURPOSES AND METHODS OF RING WEARING
THE ORIGIN OF THE RING
T
HE origin of
the ring is somewhat obscure, although there is good reason to believe
that it is a modification of the cylindrical seal which was first worn
attached to the neck or to the arm and was eventually reduced in size
so that it could be worn on the finger. Signet rings were used in Egypt
from a very remote period, and we read in Gen. xl, 42, that the Pharaoh
of Joseph's time bestowed a ring upon the patriarch as a mark of
authority. From Egypt the custom of wearing rings was transmitted to
the Greek world, and also to the Etruscans, from whom the usage was
derived by the Romans. The Greek rings were made of various materials,
such as gold, silver, iron, ivory, and amber.
In
his Natural History, Pliny relates the Greek fable of the origin of the
ring. For his impious daring in stealing fire from heaven for mortal
man, Prometheus had been doomed by Jupiter to be chained for 30,000
years to a rock in the Caucasus, while a vulture fed upon his liver.
Before long, however, Jupiter relented and liberated Prometheus;
nevertheless, in order to avoid a violation of the original judgment,
it was ordained that the Titan should wear a link of his chain
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