2nd-3rd century AD. A bronze discoid brooch with openwork monogram ROMA in Latin letters, the M and A ligated, the O formed by the brooch frame itself; ROMA also a palindrome for AMOR. 9.2 grams, 33mm wide (1 1/4"). North American collection, 1990s-2000s. Property of a Surrey gentleman. Roma refers to both the city and its divine personification, the Dea Roma. But if RMA is read from right to left (or the brooch is viewed from the opposite side), the letters give way to a monogram for ‘AMOR’, the Latin name for Cupid, the god of love. The phrase pertains to Roma-Amor, a widely recognised palindrome espoing Roman wordplay.