Details

COLEM:1924.4941

Colchester Collections

intaglio, inscription

Roman lapis lazuli intaglio (type F.1). Lapis lazuli was specifically connected to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, and by extension the Roman Venus. The image on the front was initially thought to depict the god Harpocrates, but Prof Mary Whiting at the University of Oxford, has recently suggested it is a poorly rendered or heavily worn Eros. Erotes are lesser gods, connected to Venus goddess of love. The reverse of the intaglio is inscribed with Greek letters. This combination of letters, material and decoration (glyptic) place it as a ‘magical gem’ and it is one of only nine known from Roman Britain. An attempt to translate the letters on the reverse has been difficult. It is likely they are a combination of vowels, connected to Greek spells and invocations that have been found on several other intaglios of a similar type. A more adventurous translation is ίωση ᾰ̓́γω, with different letters written in their capital form. This would then translate as "I bring disease", making it a curse. Revd Professor Martin Henig and Prof Mary Whiting both note that this would mean the particular intaglio falls widely out of conventional practice for this sort of object, as they are most often associated with love spells. The presence of Eros reinforces this idea, however curses were also meant to be hidden and what a great way to hide a curse by concealing it under a symbol of love. However, without knowing the true intention of the writing and the ambiguous nature of its presentation, it is impossible to know the true meaning of the text. Intaglios are engraved gems that were used as a form of personal signature, similar to the modern-day signet ring. In the Roman period, intaglios were mounted as the bezel on finger rings, and were carved from coloured precious stones such as chalcedony, carnelian, onyx and jasper. They were used across the Roman Empire to stamp the wax seals of e.g. letters and legal documents, so that the recipient would know the seal had not been broken and the contents interfered with. As well as practical devices they were also a sign of status and identity for their wearer. Intaglios were used by both men and women and those in Colchester Museums’ collection depict various Roman gods, goddesses and mythical figures. The designs were highly personal to the owner and often related to their personal life or profession.

0200 - 0300

Roman

<p><span style="font-size:medium;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"ΙωΕΗ" or "ΙωΣΗ" / "Ανο" or "Αγο"</span></p>

Either a series of letters or "I bring disease".

height: 8.00 mm
width: 5.00 mm

In Store