Age Unidentified - Lanka
Ruhuna - Copper Signet Ring

A copper signet Ring with an image of an elephant with raised trunk on the signet was found in Akurugoda in area of Tissamaharama. Age unknown.

SPECIFICATIONS
AlloyCopper
TypeRing
Height27.5 mm
Width33.4 mm
Thickness6.8 mm
Weight19.32 gms
ShapeRing
EdgeSmooth
ruhuna_ring_signet_elephant_cu_obverse ruhuna_ring_signet_elephant_cu_reverse
ruhuna_ring_signet_elephant_cu_bottom
Obverse : Caricatures of the side view of two different faces with hair, eye, nose, mouth, and chin clearly carved on either side
Reverse : flat unmarked smooth surface. Bottom : The signet is a elephant standing facing left with upraised trunk. A mahout may be visible standing by side of animals back legs.

The ring hole is slightly elliptical (14.8/15.6 mm) to match shape of finger. I am curious why one side is flat and not decorated, and may be a limitation of the smelting with a single die. The worn but clearly visible elephant on the signet makes this clearly very nice item.

The 1999 catalog by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe titled Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited , do not list any signet rings either under Seals or Miscellaneous Objects It was obtained from the same collector who provided most of the items for that book.

The signet Ring was scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 200 dpi. The signet was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 400 dpi. It was obtained in 2001 December from Mr A. Ratnayaka a collector in Katharagama, Lanka, from the small collection he sent for display at the Sri Lanka Numismatic Society 25th Anniversary exhibition.