Aurelia Earrings: Roman spherical jewelry in brass
The essentials before the story begins
The Aurelia Earrings are archaeologically grounded replicas of Roman spherical earrings (inaures) made of gold-colored brass, crafted after originals from the 1st–3rd century AD. Comparable finds of this type come, among other places, from Augusta Raurica (Augst, Switzerland) and Pompeii, which was buried in AD 79. At 35 × 18 mm, they match the scale of imperial Roman originals exactly.
What did Roman women wear on their ears in the 1st century AD?
We are in Colonia Agrippina, sometime around AD 150. A merchant woman arranges her stall in the forum. She wears no necklace, no bracelet. Only two golden spheres on her ears, flashing in the midday light like little suns. Nothing filigree, no gemstone. Precisely because they are so simple, they stand out.
This very type, the hollow gold sphere on an ear hook, runs through almost three centuries of Roman jewelry history. In his Naturalis Historia (Book XI, around AD 77), Pliny the Elder describes with genuine astonishment how Roman women deliberately let their heavy spherical earrings strike their shoulders just to enjoy the metallic jingling.
A directly comparable original piece is now housed in the Roman Museum of Augst (Augusta Raurica, Switzerland): bronze earrings with a hemispherical front and straight hook fastening, dated to the 2nd–3rd century AD, found in the area of the largest Roman town north of the Alps. Same construction principle, same proportions, same function. The only difference from the Aurelia earrings: there, patinated metal; here, fresh gold-colored brass.
And now the point that surprises everyone who takes spherical earrings for a modern design concept. The shape is not an invention of the 20th century, nor a medieval motif. Archaeological finds from Hellenistic Egypt (3rd century BC, British Museum London, Inv. 2754) show that hollow gold spheres as ear jewelry had long belonged to the repertoire of Mediterranean goldsmiths before Augustus. The Imperium Romanum adopted this type, refined it, and spread it from North Africa to Hadrian’s Wall. A design that survives for 2,000 years does not need reinventing.
What do the Aurelia earrings offer?
Profile:
Two parts, one clear statement. At the top sits a small, flat round button, barely larger than a pinhead. Beneath it hangs a hollow hemisphere with a strongly curved front and a smooth, matte surface. The weight is at the front, the sphere falls slightly outward, exactly as the open ear hook made of brass wire dictates. No clasp, no clip, no mechanism. Put them in, done. That is how Roman women did it, and that is how it still works today.
-
Material: Gold-colored brass, matte surface finish
-
Dimensions: 35 × 18 mm (total length × sphere diameter), proportioned to the imperial period
-
Fastening: Open ear hook made of brass wire, for pierced ears
-
Comparative model: Spherical earrings of the Augusta Raurica type, 2nd–3rd century AD, Roman Museum of Augst (Switzerland)
-
Date of the original type: 1st–3rd century AD, distributed throughout the Imperium Romanum, with predecessors from the 3rd century BC onward
What is the benefit of an earring older than Christianity?
After many active years in reenactment, I can say one thing with certainty: nothing gets you into conversation with visitors faster than authentic accessories. This is exactly where the Aurelia Earrings show their strength.
First, the everyday context. A portrayal as a merchant woman, craftsman’s wife, or urban woman of middling status does not require elaborate gold jewelry with gemstones. According to finds from Augusta Raurica and Colonia Agrippina, the spherical type was exactly what women of all social strata wore. So the Aurelia earrings suit not only the senator’s wife, but just as convincingly the potter’s wife.
Second, museum education. Anyone guiding school classes through a Roman exhibition while dressed authentically creates a different kind of attention than someone in a modern hoodie. The earrings are large enough to be recognized from three meters away. Try it yourself.
An honest piece of advice for reenactors: do not combine the Aurelia earrings with jewelry that belongs to another period. A spherical type from the 2nd century AD next to a Viking brooch fastening from the 9th century would be unconvincing.
What does Pliny have to do with earrings?
Pliny the Elder was not a jeweler. He was a naturalist, fleet commander, and a “notorious know-it-all” who had an opinion on practically everything, including the ear jewelry of Roman women. In his Naturalis Historia, completed shortly before his death during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, he addresses the subject with genuine indignation:
“Cervix catenis onerat, aures inauribus premunt.”
“The neck is burdened with chains, the ears are weighed down by earrings.”
Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, Book XI, around AD 77.
What sounds like a complaint is in fact a source reference. Pliny describes heavy spherical earrings not as an exception, but as an everyday phenomenon in urban Rome of the 1st century AD. The inaures belonged to the cityscape as much as the toga belonged to the senator. The fact that a man of his stature wrote about them at all shows how present this jewelry was. One does not write complaints about things that are not commonplace.
The smart knowledge store: fact check on the Aurelia earrings
Are the Aurelia earrings suitable for pierced ears only, or also as clip-ons?
The open ear hook made of brass wire is designed exclusively for pierced ears, exactly like the Roman originals. Clip fastenings did not exist in antiquity, and they would immediately destroy the historical appearance.
Which Roman social class wore this type of earring?
The spherical type was not an aristocratic matter. Finds from Augusta Raurica and Colonia Agrippina show that women of all social classes wore this type, from craft households to affluent urban women. Gold for the upper classes, bronze and gilded brass for the rest. The form remained the same.
How do I properly care for brass earrings?
A soft, dry cotton cloth is entirely sufficient. Brass reacts to moisture and sweat with a light patina, which actually suits the historical appearance. Aggressive cleaners or ultrasonic baths attack the surface and should be strictly avoided.
Do the Aurelia earrings match other jewelry pieces from the Forum Traiani collection?
Yes, but with care. The spherical type dates to the 1st–3rd century AD. Combinations should be limited to the same time period and the same region. An imperial finger ring or a simple bronze fibula from the same century creates a coherent overall appearance. Chronological jumps in jewelry are immediately noticeable to a knowledgeable audience.
How large do the Aurelia earrings actually appear on the ear?
With a total length of 35 × 18 mm and a sphere diameter of 18 mm, they are present but not theatrical. The hollow hemisphere appears more voluminous on the ear than its actual weight would suggest. For portrayals on stage, in museums, or on camera, this size is ideal; even from three meters away it clearly reads as Roman spherical jewelry.
Fun fact: Romans wore earrings too. Yes, men!
Anyone who automatically thinks of women when hearing Roman spherical earrings has not looked closely enough at the Fayum mummy portraits. These exceptionally realistic funerary panels from Roman Egypt (1st–3rd century AD), now held among others in the British Museum London and the Egyptian Museum Berlin, show men wearing single earrings. No mistake, no special case, but visually documented in the eastern provinces of the Empire.
In the city of Rome itself, male ear jewelry was considered a sign of eastern origin or a status symbol for freedmen displaying their newly gained social mobility. Pliny notes this with his characteristic disapproval. But the Empire was vast, and what counted as eccentric in Rome was entirely normal in Alexandria or Antioch.
The spherical type was therefore not only female, not only urban Roman, and not only elite. It was a popular earring format of the imperial Mediterranean world. For men as well as women.
List of sources
Title: Jewelry of the Roman Period in Switzerland
Author: Emilie Riha
Publication: Verlag Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Basel Date: 1990
Title: Roman Jewellery
Author: Reynold Higgins
Publication: Thames & Hudson, London Date: 1980 (standard work, still authoritative without change)
Title: Naturalis Historia, Book XI
Author: Pliny the Elder
Publication: around AD 77 | Modern reference edition: Rackham, H. (ed.), Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press Date: Loeb edition 1938, continuously reissued
Title: Body Adornment in the Roman Imperial Period
Author: Alexandra Busch
Publication: Zabern, Mainz Date: 2003
Further links
Updated on: 31/03/2026
Forum Traiani ® | We make history tangible!
