While the origin of wedding rings isn’t one hundred
percent certain, based on archeological evidence dating back 3000 years,
historians have pointed back to ancient Egypt as the first culture to exchange
rings to commemorate marriage. The rings were given by spouses to each other as
a symbol of the love between them, but it wasn’t a part of any ceremony. It was
a private gift shared between them. However, to find the origins of the tradition of metal wedding
rings exchanged today, we look back to the ancient Romans. At that time and in that culture, marriages had to conform to
Roman law and were categorized by social class. This included three different categories of weddings: Usus, Coemptio,
and Confarreatio.
Ancient wedding rings didn’t always represent love
In plain English, the Usus was marriage for the lowest
class. Today, we might compare it to what we call common-law marriage. The next "step up" was the Coemptio which
involved purchasing the bride. Historians don’t totally agree on whether this
was an actual purchase or a symbolic sale, but that’s what the ring in these
marriages represented. Then there was the Confarreatio – the only “legal”
marriage and it was reserved for the elite upper class. This marriage was presided
over, and the groom presented his bride with a ring. Most of these rings were
made of iron or gold which is what led to the tradition of metal wedding rings.
Unlike the Egyptian rings which were symbols of love, historians believe the
Romans looked at the metal wedding band as a symbol of possession. Thus, the
wife belonged to the husband once that ring went on her finger.
Ancient
Romans owned two wedding rings
As I mentioned, the ancient Roman wedding rings were
made of iron or gold. What I didn’t mention is that the wealthy women in
ancient Rome actually were presented with two wedding rings, an iron one and a
gold one. The first was to be worn at home and thought to represent strength
and permanence. The gold ring was worn in public to impress people. Laws actually
prohibited those from the lower classes from wearing gold rings, but these laws
were somewhat difficult to enforce, because historical evidence shows that even
slaves plated their iron rings with gold if they could.
 | |
| Motif of the clasped hands, signified love, betrothal, and marriage | . |
Laws
of ancient Roman marriage
Back in ancient Rome, couples had to have connubium which denoted the legal right
to get married. Needless to say this was a requirement for marriage and it wasn’t
a permission granted to people who were already married, eunuchs, and people
who shared certain blood relationships. Parental consent also played a role
with the minimum age for marriage set at age 12 for girls and age 14 for boys.
Photo credits: wikimedia.org,
The
Portable Antiquities Scheme, Walters
Art Museum
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