A Twitterer, who is “reading Knight’s Fee now” asks “is there a chronology of (Rosemary Sutcliff) books re the family with the dolphin ring?”. I think it goes like this – but do put me right any of you Rosemary Sutcliff experts out there … And does anyone know or recall WHY a dolphin is the image on the ring?
The Eagle of the Ninth (AD 133),
The Silver Branch (about AD 280),
Frontier Wolf (AD 343),
The Lantern Bearers (AD 450),
Sword at Sunset (immediately follows the time of The Lantern Bearers)
and Dawn Wind (AD 577).
The sequence of stories of the descendants of Marcus Flavius Aquila, hero of The Eagle of the Ninth, continues with Sword Song (about AD 900) and The Shield Ring (about AD 1070).
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 
Also worth a look is Eric Eller’s article in the “Green Man Review”, where he discusses the novels linked by the Aquila family ring within the context of place and chronological setting.
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_sutcliff_romanbritain.html
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I found this:
“Marcus took it from him and bent to examine it. It was a heavy signet-ring; and on the flawed emerald which formed the bezel was engraved the dolphin badge of his own family … ”
As to why this was a dolphin I’m not sure it was ever explained?
More about the ring here:
http://blueremembered.blogspot.com/2005/06/dark-age-novels-of-rosemary-sutcliff.html
Regards,
Robert
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Thanks for info and link.
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