How to make an Ancient Roman snake bracelet

a gold bracelet in the form of a snake with head and tail overlapping
Gold bracelet in the form of a coiled snake. © The Trustees of the British Museum

This snake bracelet is great if you’re doing the Ancient Romans at school and need to dress up as a Roman. It’s easy to make too.

The statue in the picture from the Museum of Classical Archaeology in Cambridge above is wearing one. She’s using it as an armband instead of a bracelet.

In the past, experts debated whether the statue is of Cleopatra or the mythological character Ariadne. Cleopatra is known for her association with asps, a kind of snake and Ariadne famously fell asleep before she was abandoned by Theseus. Nowadays, they think it is definitely Ariadne.

You will need:

  • Card
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Glue
  • Tinfoil 
  • Permanent black felt-tip pen.

Instructions:

  • Cut a strip of card a bit longer than a pipe cleaner.
  • Fold the card in half and stick the pipe cleaner in the middle to make the card bendy.
  • Make the shape of a snake’s head and tail and stick them to the card.
  • Wrap the card in tin foil.
  • Then use the permanent black marker pen to draw a scale pattern and give eyes to the snake’s head.

You can find more Ancient Roman snake jewellery on the British Museum’s website.