Note 876 — Chapter VI · Argos

Rings, pp. 35, 394; ear-rings, p. 35; fibulae (but not with pins), p. 42. Add Brit. Mus. Cat. Jewellery, early Greek fibula no. 1089 (Rhodes); Furtwaengler, Winckelmannspr. 1883, pp. 5–10, archaic Greek gold ornaments found at Vetterfeld, all apparently weighing some multiple of the Attic drachma. On the whole question of ring money, see above, chapter V, p. 148. Ridgeway is criticized by Svoronos, J. I. d’A. N. IX. p. 184, who, however, admits the main fact that “goldsmiths habitually make their ornaments from a specific weight of metal in agreement with the prevalent standard of weight.” We must of course beware of arguing from the practice of places like modern Nigeria, where the native jewellers are in the habit of making up rings and other objects out of coins supplied for the purpose by their customers, see e.g. J. W. Scott Macfie, Rev. d’Ethn. et de Sociol. 1912, p. 282.