Arm ring

Within the context of the Scandinavian Bronze Age, archeological digs of graves suggest that arm rings were most commonly worn by men.

[3] Archeological discoveries of Bronze Age arm rings in Denmark suggest they were common Votive offerings during that period, found purposefully deposited in bodies of water or buried near large stones, hills, or barrows.

[4] It is believed that arm rings may have been bestowed as gifts by powerful lords to secure or maintain bonds of fealty or Vassalages,[3] with evidence of this practice found in Scandinavian sagas[5] and the Old English epic poem Beowulf.

[5] Arm rings may have also been a method of storing silver during the Viking Age, a context wherein coins were less common.

The decorative arm rings are usually made of metals such as gold, silver, or brass, and can trace their history from the Indonesian Hindu-Buddhist past of ancient Java.

Javanese arm ring used by Wayang wong dancers.
Ancient Greek gravestone of a woman bearing arm rings in the shape of snake, 100 BCE.
Anglo-Saxon arm rings from the Galloway Hoard , ca. 900 CE.