![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() One amethyst depicts Venus holding either a flower or a mirror. Others showcase Ceres, the god of fertility, Sol (the sun) and Mercury (commerce). Some bear images of Apollo, Mars, Bonus Eventus and other Roman deities symbolizing war or good fortune. The delicate intaglios, fashioned from amethyst, jasper and carnelian, range in diameter from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters - bigger than a pencil eraser, smaller than a dime. The colorful intaglios - gems with incised carvings - likely fell out of signet rings worn by wealthy third-century bathers, and ended up trapped in the stone drains. Down the drain is where British archaeologists recently discovered 36 artfully engraved semiprecious stones, in an ancient bathhouse at the site of a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle, England. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |