Expert: Irulan Serena - 9/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: hello ...I had a dream with a blonde girl a like ... in it was in the time of the Roman Empire ... and the girl was wearing this type of bracelet

ANSWER: Hello Alexander,

You did not specify what, exactly, you wnated to know about the snake bracelt, so I am assuming that you want to know the symbolism of the snake.


The snake is a very symbolic animal with ambiguous associations. For many ancient civilizations, the snake symbolized the underworld and the realm of the dead, apparently because it spends much of its life in hiding and in pits below the surface of the earth.   


The snake is also the symbol of rebirth because of its apparent ability to be rejuvenated through the shedding of its skin.  


The snake is also an ancient symbol of eternity. It is portrayed as a snake biting its own tail (Greek UROBORUS), which stands for the cycle of eternal return, or for eternity in general.   


The Ouroboros  is a classic symbol for eternity.  The snake is the symbol of life throwing off the past and continuing to live.
Cultures have a  tendency to use their symbols in jewelry for adornment as well as other reasons, so you will find that many bracelets, rings and necklaces from ancient times were shaped in the form of snakes.


The Romans adopted many things from the Greek culture, including the symbolism of their jewelry.


Regards,


Iru


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well I  wasn't very sure that the bracelet I saw in my dream was an snake bracelet so ... what I can say for sure ... that the bracelet  was in spiral shape and had more than one spiral... so ... 1. are there another roman spiral bracelets? 2. is there any love story? between a girl that was wearing this type of bracelet ... and had blond spiral form hair ... and was wearing an simple white dress ... and was very young ... around 16 and was offered by someone who actually loved her to other that had higher ranks ... the males were all wearing plate bracelets .. with something round .. like a watch and had red costumes  ( from another expert this story should be in the period: spiral bracelets in the form of snakes passed into circulation in the Roman world only in the early Roman empire, while in the previous centuries  from the foundation of Rome in 753 BC to the Roman Republic, which lasted until 27 BC, such a type of bracelet was not so common.) thank you for your time

Answer
Bronze serpentine 'bracelets' have been found in Greek and Italian excavations.

A serpentine bracelet is  an elongated metal bracelet which usually was wound around the arm thus forming the spiral. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Etruscans, Egyptians, Celts and other cultures used this form of bracelet for the reasons already mentioned.

This form of bracelet was worn throught the aforementioned Pagan cultures throught the centuries not in any specific period preceisely because the symbolof the snake was a revered by the ancient Cultures.  


With the coming of Christianity the bracelets' theme and symbology changed to reflect the new theoology.

The following links show serpentine/spiral bracelets.  

http://www.louvre.fr/media/repository/ressources/sources/illustration/atlas/x196


http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/42/8242-004-8D374461.jpg


http://www.phoenixancientart.com/animaux/images/egyptiansnakebracelet%20bbkg%205


http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/snakebracelet.jpg


Dreams interpretation nor ancient jewelry are not my forte, historical events are.


Sorry that I cannot answer your questions based on this dream.


Regars,


Iru