Vittae Auratae:Interpreting the History and Technology of a Group of Roman Gold Textile Fragments

Abstract

Fifty-six gold fragments—forty-nine pieces of woven textile and seven of twisted cord—from the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum were the subject of an art historical and scientific study to ascertain their original form, function, and method of manufacture. The fragments were examined through the use of noninvasive technologies, including digital microscopy, X-radiography, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopic (SEM-EDS) analysis, and scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) spectroscopy. By these means, it was possible to determine the chemical composition of the gold threads and details of the ancient weave, which enabled the authors to digitally reconstruct the original form of the more well-preserved fragments. Historical research supports the interpretation of the reconstructed sections, suggesting that the original artifact closely resembles ribbons of woven gold (vittae) found in Italy and dating to the late Hellenistic through the early Imperial Roman periods (ca. 100 BCE–200 CE).