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A ''bulla'', an
amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
worn like a locket, was given to male children in Ancient Rome nine days after birth. Rather similar objects are rare finds from Late Bronze Age Ireland.


Roman bullae

Roman ''bullae'' were enigmatic objects of lead, sometimes covered in gold foil, if the family could afford it. A ''bulla'' was worn around the neck as a locket to protect against evil spirits and forces. ''Bullae'' were made of differing substances depending upon the wealth of the family.


Roman boys

Before the age of manhood, Roman boys wore a ''bulla'', a neckchain and round pouch containing protective amulets (usually
phallic symbols A phallus is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisely ...
), and the ''bulla'' of an upper-class boy would be made of gold. Other materials included leather and cloth. A freeborn Roman boy wore a ''bulla'' until he came of age as a Roman citizen. Before he put on his '' toga virilis'' ("toga of manhood") he placed his boyhood ''bulla'' in the care of his parental household deities ( Lares). Some modern sources interpret Macrobius's single reference to an amulet worn by a triumphal general during his procession as evidence that the childhood ''bulla'' was also a standard item of triumphal regalia.


Roman girls

A roman girl did not wear a ''bulla'' per se, but another kind of amulet, called a '' lunula'', until the eve of her marriage, when it was removed along with her childhood
toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pe ...
s and other things. She would then stop wearing child's clothes and start wearing women's Roman dress.


Bronze Age Ireland

A small number of ''bullae'' have been found in Ireland; they are called "bullae" based on their resemblance to the Roman form.Other than superficial resemblance, Irish and Roman ''bullae'' have no known connection. The Irish bullae so far found were made of base metalIrish bullae are usually made of lead, but also tin. Bullae made of clay are rare. – sometimes clay – covered with a folded over piece of gold foil. The Irish bullae date to the Late Bronze Age, about 1150–750 BCE. They were presumably worn suspended round the neck with a cord running through the hole below the flat top. The body of the bulla has roughly vertical sides before making a semi-circle or inverted pointed arch at the bottom. The gold is incised with geometrical decoration. Whether they were purely for adornment or had an amuletic or other function is unclear. Despite the small weight of gold used they would have been available only for elite groups.


See also

*
Shropshire bulla The Shropshire bulla ("" is Medieval Latin for "a round seal", Classical Latin for "bubble, blob", plural bullae) is a Late Bronze Age gold pendant found by a metal detectorist in 2018 in Shropshire, England. Made primarily of gold, it is the e ...
*
Bulla (seal) A bulla (Medieval Latin for "a round seal", from Classical Latin ''bulla'', "bubble, blob"; plural bullae) is an inscribed clay or soft metal (such as lead or tin) or bitumen or wax token used in commercial and legal documentation as a form of aut ...


Notes


References


External links

* https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1872-0604-838-a * https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?keyword=roman&keyword=bulla * https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1872-0604-838-a * https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1814-0704-1174 * https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1872-0604-672 * https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1846-0629-13 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulla Amulets Prehistoric Ireland Childhood in ancient Rome Archaeological artefact types Bronze Age art Necklaces Ancient Roman metalwork