Pliny: Natural History, Vol. IX (Loeb)

—, so that he was elected a curule aedile with Quintus Anicius Praenestinus, who a few years before had been an enemy, while Gaius Poetilius and Domitius, whose fathers had been consuls, were passed over. It was added to Flavius that he should be a tribune of the plebs at the same time, upon which such indignation flared up that we find in the most ancient annals that "rings were cast aside." It deceives many that they think the equestrian order did this at that time; for indeed this was added, but also that horse-trappings phalerae ornamental disks worn by horses were set aside, and because of this, the name of the knights was added, and it was recorded in the annals that the rings were put aside by the nobility, not by the entire senate. This was done in the consulship of P. Sempronius and L. Sulpicius. Flavius vowed a temple to Concord if he had reconciled the orders to the people, and, when money was not allotted for this purpose by the state, he made a small bronze shrine from the fine-money of condemned usurers in the Graecostasis a platform near the Forum for foreign ambassadors, which was then above the Assembly-place, and he cut into a bronze tablet that this temple had been made 204 years after the Capitoline [temple] was dedicated. This was done in the 449th year from the foundation of the city and the first trace of rings stands; however, a second [trace] of their promiscuous use [is found] in the Second Punic War, for it would not otherwise have been

ædile as a colleague of Quintus Anicius of Palestrina, who a few years previously had been an enemy at war with Rome, while Gaius Poetilius and Domitius, whose fathers had been consuls, were passed over. Flavius had the additional advantage of being tribune of the plebs at the same time. This caused such an outburst of blazing indignation that we find in the oldest annals ‘rings were laid aside.’ The common belief that the Order of Knighthood also did the same on this occasion is erroneous, inasmuch as the following words were also added: ‘but also harness-bosses were put aside as well’; and it is because of this clause that the name of the Knights has been added; and the entry in the annals is that the rings were laid aside by the nobility, not by the entire Senate. This occurrence took place in the consulship of Publius Sempronius and Lucius Sulpicius. Flavius made a vow to erect a temple to Concord if he succeeded in effecting a reconciliation between the privileged orders and the people; and as money was not allotted for this purpose from public funds, he drew on the fine-money collected from persons convicted of practising usury to erect a small shrine made of bronze on the Graecostasis, which at that date stood above the Assembly-place, and put on it an inscription engraved on a bronze tablet that the shrine had been constructed 204 years after the consecration of the Capitoline temple. This event took place in the 449th year from the foundation of the city, and is the earliest evidence to be found of the use of rings. There is however a second piece of evidence for their being commonly worn at the time of the Second Punic War, as had this not been the case it