Love message on a 1800-year-old brooch

Metal detectorist from the United Kingdom has recently discovered a brooch, dated to 1800 BC. The artefact is made of copper and contains the letters “RMA” engraved in its shape. It is believed that the combination of letters produces different meanings depending from which side the find is viewed. When read left to right, the letters form a monogram for “Roma,” the name of Rome and its deity. When read from right to left, the same letters form the monogram for “Amor,” the Latin name for Cupid, the god of love. The brooch was probably attached to a tunic or cloak, using a pin.

Brooch with the RMA / AMR letters (by Live Science)
Brooch with the RMA / AMR letters (by Live Science)
The palindrome Roma-Amor was widely recognised and played on in antiquity, the archaeologists note. There’s yet another possible meaning. If the person who wore this brooch also wore a second brooch containing the monogram for Mars, the god of war, the full meaning of the two brooches combined could be “Rome, (city) of Mars” or “Rome, beloved of Mars”. Similar brooches have been found in Roman military garrisons in southern Germany and eastern Europe.

(after Live Science)

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