5th-4th century BC. A silver finger signet ring comprising a round-section hoop and flat ellipsoid bezel featuring an incuse scene of a horse and rider brandishing a spear, with a hound beside the horse; possibly a hunting scene. See Samsaris D.C., 'Le culte du culte du Cavalier thrace dans la vallee du Bas-Strymon a l'epoque romaine (Recherches sur la localisation de ses sanctuaires), in Dritter Internationaler Thrakologischer Kongress zu Ehren W. Tomascheks (2-6 juni 1980, Wien), II, Sofia, 1984, pp.284 ff.; Samsaris, D.C., 'Le culte du Cavalier thrace dans la colonie de Philippes et dans son territoire' in Ponto-Baltica, vol. 2-3, 1982-83, pp.89-100. 13.87 grams, 23.57mm overall, 19.94mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13) (3/4"). Property of a Suffolk gentleman; previously in a 1980s UK collection. In ancient Greece many breeds of hounds were bred for hunting and war by warriors and farmers, among whom hunting with hounds was very popular. Asian breeds were introduced mainly after the conquests of Alexander and are represented by Hyrcanian and Indian dogs, already well known to Herodotus. They were mainly used for the boar hunt.