The CBd
 
 
Magical gem: Magna mater, Helios and Selene (A) Aphrodite, Ἰάω (B)
CBd-Number:
CBd-1162
ID-Number:
GB-AshMus_2003.103
Collection:
GB_Oxford, Ashmolean Museum
Inventory:
2003.103
References:
Henig–MacGregor 2004, no. 13.14
Material:
heliotrope
Dimensions:
26.7 x 19.1 x 3.1 mm
Dating:
2nd c. AD (Henig - MacGregor)
Iconography:
Aphrodite, Venus victrix-type; vessel, unspecified; clothing: mantle; wreath; clothing, unspecified; ladder; birds, unspecified; garland; Danubian riders (2); Magna Mater; clothing: garment; tripus?; objects, unidentified; weapon: helmet; weapon: spear; weapon: shield; Helios; Selene; rays (5); moon, crescent; figure, female; gesture, hand raised to mouth; gesture, greeting; figures, unidentified (2); snakes (4); stars (7); gesture, lying; column; whip
Divine Names & Voces:
Ἰάω
A: Woman dressed in a long garment, standing with head to left, right arm raised in greeting (Magna Mater). She is flanked by the two Danubian riders (or the Dioscouri?) facing him, crowned with wreaths, and holding whips in their outer hands, inner hands raised in greeting. The horsemen each trample on figures lying naked on the ground. Behind the horseman on the right, a female figure standing in a long robe with hand to mouth (Sigé). Above, the busts of Selene (on the left) and Helios (on the right) facing each other, flanked by two serpents. Two other snakes are also represented along the lower edge of the gem, framing small birds or vessels (?) in three lines. On the right edge and the lowest line, unidentified objects. In the center, perhaps a tripod (?). Scattered in the free field in the upper segment, seven six-pointed stars and a ladder (?).
B: Aphrodite, Venus victrix (Henig – MacGregor: Athena) standing semi-nude, to left, her mantle covering only her legs. With her right hand, she is leaning on a garlanded column, topped with a vessel (?), and looking at a helmet held in her outstretched left hand. A spear is shown in front of her, a shield is placed at her feet. Letters in the free field: ιαω → Ἰάω.

Bibliography
Henig - MacGregor 2004, 124, no. 13.14

Last modified: 2015-01-09 14:16:04
Link:cbd.mfab.hu/cbd/1162
CITE THIS PAGE
CBd-1162. The Campbell Bonner Magical Gems Database (2010-), developed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, editor-in-chief: Á. M. Nagy. Retrieved from: cbd.mfab.hu/cbd/1162 on 18-10-2024.

Image-ID 2616

Credits by Robert L. Wilkins

Rights © Ashmolean Museum, Oxford