Wedding ring customs from the ancient world

Delving into the history of wedding rings leads to ancient cultures with rings crafted of similar materials but symbolizing different meanings. Where did the wedding ring custom get its start? Like many ancient customs it is not something agreed upon even by historians. In my research, I give that nod of the head toward the ancient Egyptians, but some suggest it goes back all the way to the Neanderthals.

 

Wedding ring customs through the centuries

Marriage existed throughout ancient cultures around the world. And from this tradition came the custom of wedding rings. The look of wedding rings has changed throughout the centuries. Earliest rings were crafted of leather, ivory or bone. While the materials used were similar among early cultures, it's interesting to note that what wedding rings represented differed from one culture to another.

 

Ancient Egyptian wedding rings

The origin of wedding rings isn’t one hundred percent certain, but based on archeological evidence dating back 3000 years, most historians agree that ancient Egypt was the first culture to exchange wedding rings. These rings were intricately crafted into beautiful jewelry from braided reeds and hemp and placed on the fourth finger as a symbol of the love. However, the ring exchange was not part of a public wedding ceremony but took place in private with rings presented as gifts. Historians have determined through hieroglyphics that the shape of the ring, the circle, symbolized eternal life and the opening in the center was thought to be a portal to a future between two newlyweds.

 

Ancient Roman wedding rings

Marriages in ancient Rome had to conform to Roman law and were categorized by social class. This included three different categories of weddings: Usus, Coemptio, and Confarreatio. For the lowest class, the word for marriage was Usus. Today, we can compare it to a common-law marriage. For the next class up, marriage was known as the Coemptio and involved purchasing the bride. In this case, not all historians agree on whether this was an actual purchase or a symbolic sale, but either way, the ring represented a purchase. However, neither of these marriages were considered legal.

 

The only authorized marriage in Ancient Rome was the Confarreatio, a privilege reserved for the elite upper class. These marriages were presided over and the groom presented his bride with a ring during the ceremony. The wedding ring tradition began with rings made of flint and bone. Later rings were crafted of copper, silver, and gold. Most Confarreatio rings were crafted of iron or gold with the iron ring worn in private and the gold ring worn in public. Even in these upper-class marriages, the rings were not considered symbols of love but rather symbols of possession—that the wife belonged to the husband. However, in the brides favor, it also meant that the married woman had a right to her husband’s possessions. 

 

Ancient Greek wedding rings

The first Ancient Greek wedding rings were also crafted of leather, ivory or bone, but when metal rings were introduced, a simple gold band was worn on the left hand as an engagement ring and was then moved to the right hand when married. Later gold rings inlaid with colorful gems, crystals, or glass became popular. These precious rings were often passed from one generation to the next becoming the first heirloom rings. 

Indian wedding rings

Historically, in Ancient India, according to Manu Smiriti, the laws of Manu or Manava Dharma Shastra, eight main forms of Hindu marriages existed in ancient India. I will create another post to explain that in detail at another time. In ancient India, gold was the most idolized form of jewelry. This love of gold jewelry even extended to dressing animals, like elephants, in intricate gem-studded pieces. It is thought that this love for jewelry stemmed from the culture’s belief in mystical qualities thought to protect the wearer from evil. Traditional Indian brides wore the wedding ring on the right hand because the left hand is considered unclean.

A couple of other things worth mentioning include the Nath, also commonly known as the nose stud or Indian bridal nose ring. Ancient Indian brides (and brides today) wore this bridal nose ring with a long chain of gold connected to the ear. This is not a wedding ring but is part of the bride’s ensemble. 

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Wedding ring history

What do we know of the history of the wedding ring? For starts, that it isn't clear cut. Nor is the origin of the "finger ring" certain. However, it is speculated that wedding rings originated in ancient Egypt as the signet or seal evolved into a signet ring, a portable seal and display of authority. Later history shows that wealthy Egyptian women wore ornamental finger rings including the famous scarab design. Rings grew more common and complex during the middle kingdom. Over time Egyptian styles were supplanted by Greek and Roman rings during the Ptolemaic dynasty. But as for wedding rings themselves, let's take a brief journey on the history of wearing rings and what they meant to uncover where the tradition of wearing wedding rings started.

Byzantine Signet Ring

Origins of the ring finger concept

In looking at the history of wedding rings, let's start with the ring finger. Which finger is a wedding ring worn on and why? In the ancient writings of Pliny the Elder (23/4-79 CE) he said:

"It was the custom at first to wear rings on a single finger only – the one next to the little finger, and this we see to be the case in the statues of Numa and Servius Tullius. Later it became usual to put rings on the finger next to the thumb, even with statues of the gods; and more recently still it has been the fashion to wear them upon the little finger too. Among the Gauls and Britons the middle finger – it is said – is used for the purpose. At the present day, however, with us, this is the only finger that is excepted, for all the others are loaded with rings, smaller rings even being separately adapted for the smaller joints of the fingers."

In Rome, laws were passed to govern the wearing of finger rings. Pliny goes on to say that the Emperor Tiberius required that people who were not of free descent be required to own a large amount of property before they could have the right to wear gold finger rings. Later the Emperor Severus gave soldiers the right to wear gold rings, and then extended the right to all free citizens. Silver rings were worn by freed slaves, and in Imperial Rome, gold, silver, and iron finger rings were worn in accordance with social class.

When betrothal rings came into use, they were originally placed on the fourth finger because the ancient Greeks believed a vein in that finger led directly to the heart – the "vena amoris." Today we call this finger the ring finger.

Betrothal ring

Along with rings tying a person to their social class, the Romans were also the first to wear rings that tied them to their spouse. However, unlike today, the ring was not slipped onto the ring finger at the wedding ceremony. Instead, it happened at something more like an engagement ceremony called a Sponsalia. At this time, the groom slipped the iron ring (annulus pronubis) on the bride's finger as a pledge of fidelity and served more as a betrothal ring.

With the ring in place, the bride would say, "Nubo," meaning "I veil myself," which signified she was promised to a man. The ring was also a symbol to the bride's family of his commitment and his ability to support his bride financially.

Some suggest that the binding aspect of the ring for betrothal ceremonies came about from an older superstitious practice in which the man bound the woman he loved with cords around her waist, wrists, and ankles to be sure her spirit would be held under his control. This pagan superstition did not deter early Christians from adopting the use of the betrothal ring, though some Christians today question whether or not a Christian should wear a wedding ring for that reason and others.

For instance, in the book Christian Dress and Adornment by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., he suggests that even a plain wedding band could "fall in the category of the inappropriate ornaments of gold and pearls mentioned by Paul and Peter" (1 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:3), and for these reasons question whether or not a Christian should wear a wedding (or any) ring.

Ancient Roman Wedding Ring

When did people start to wear wedding rings

The tradition of metal wedding bands also started in ancient Rome with brides being presented with two rings -- an iron ring to be worn around the house and a gold ring which was worn out in public. The tradition of men wearing wedding rings didn't really start until the World Wars when men wore them as a reminder of their wives back home.

 

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How we mirror Ancient Egyptian wedding ring traditions

When looking into the history of wedding traditions, it is surprising how many of them can trace back to ancient Egypt. The wearing of wedding rings, for example, was recorded within 6000-year-old Egyptian papyrus rolls. These first wedding rings were crafted from braided hemp or reeds and worn as a marital status symbol. The husband placed the ring on his wife’s finger, a custom which entrusted and entitled them both to each other. Over time, this practice evolved to include more durable rings crafted of leather, bone, or ivory, and eventually, they advanced enough to work with various precious gemstones and metals such as gold.

 

 

Ancient Egyptian wedding ring beliefs

 

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs considered the circle to be a symbol of eternity because it had no beginning or end, and with this in mind, the wedding ring served to signify the perpetual love of the spouses. These beliefs are still held by many today, but one belief the ancients held that we haven’t adopted is the belief that the opening in the ring denoted a gateway to the unknown.

 

The custom of wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand also originated in this culture because the ancient Egyptians believed a special vein, the vena amoris (vein of love) ran from this finger directly to the heart. The ancient Romans adopted this belief and wore wedding rings on the same finger. While this belief isn’t anatomically correct, today in the West, we still call this finger the “ring finger.”

 

Passing on the wedding ring tradition

 

One of the oldest ring symbols in the world is the Egyptian ouroboros ring. It portrays a serpent swallowing its tail creating the eternal cycle of things. The word ouroboros means “tail devourer” in Greek. 

 

Later history includes ornamental finger rings worn by wealthy Egyptian women. This included the famed scarab design. Rings became more common, and by the Middle Kingdom grew more complex. Over time Greek and Roman rings styles supplanted Egyptian styles during the Ptolemaic dynasty. 

 

When Alexander the Great conquered the Egyptians, the Greeks adopted the practice of giving rings to their lovers. These rings were thought to represent devotion, and many of them depicted Eros or Cupid, the god of love. Then Rome conquered Greece. They also adopted the wedding ring tradition but with iron and copper wedding rings. The iron rings sometimes bore key designs that symbolized that the wife now had control of the household goods. By the 2nd century CE, most wedding rings were gold, and by the 3rd and 4th centuries CE the style of gold wedding rings became more luxurious and a way to flaunt the giver’s wealth.

 

We mirror the Ancient Egyptian wedding ring traditions in that we even have wedding rings, that we wear them on our left hand ring finger, and that they indicate our marital status. Over 6000 years, rings have changed but why they are worn has not.