Bonner, SMA – PDF, 257.

Obv. Above, bearded head of Sarapis to l., modius on head, star in front. Below, eagle with wings raised. Perforation for cord just behind modius.

Rev. vικᾷ ἡ Eἶσις.

Dark lapis lazuli. Upright oval, 23 X 18 Χ 3.

Obv. Head of Sarapis (without modius) to l. over female griffin sitting to l., r. forepaw resting on six-spoked wheel. Griffin and wheel are symbols of Nemesis (p. 121). The work is better than that of most amulets.

Rev. Plain.

Lapis lazuli. Rectangular, 16 X 13 X 2.

Obv. Isis-Tyche standing to front, head to l., on low pedestal, in a shrine like the door of a temple, with lunette above. She wears a tunic and himation, the latter wrapped about her waist and hips, an end falling over her left arm. Atef crown on her head; steering paddle held in lowered r. hand, cornucopia on l. arm. In the lunette, a flying scarab, with the letter A to l., E to r. These are the first two letters of a “pyramid” sequence of the vowels, i.e. one alpha, two epsilons, etc., which is continued on the l. doorjamb, then on the r., and ends with the last three of the seven omegas under the ground line.

Rev. Cobra to r. with atef crown; symbol of Isis as Thermuthis (Roscher, s.v. “Thermuthis”; Ael. N .A. 10, 31). It is encircled with an inscription which begins at the top and goes round it a little more than three times. It is the palindrome beginning Iaeobaphrenemoun (p. 204), with irregularities in the central part, followed by αρπovχvoυφι βριvτατηvωφρι βαωχμημυεω. The elements of the inscription are separated by short slanting strokes, and a wavy line is used to carry the reader's eye over from the last η to the last four letters, which begin a fourth circuit. The words Harponchnouphi Brintatenophri, which have been connected with Chnum (p. 162), are here differently applied.

Chrysolite. Upright oval, 24. Χ 15 X 9, slightly convex on obverse, very convex on reverse.

Obv. At l. Anubis, nude except for apron, disk with slight peak, resembling a pomegranate, over head; situla in r. hand. In l. he holds an indistinct object at level of shoulders as if presenting it to Isis-Tyche, who faces him. Her r. hand rests upon a steering oar, l. holds cornucopia. Indistinct crown. In exergue βoηθ, the final ει or ι lost by a chip at bottom.

Rev. Snake with head erect to l. In field, above, three characters, lower, Iαω. Characters all round bevel.

Brown-red jasper. Upright oval, 27 X 21 X 4.

Obv. Isis as Demeter, standing to r., with headcloth and modius on head, clothed in tunic and himation, r. hand holding tall torch, l. with two ears of grain. Crude work; the ears of grain are not grasped by the hand but seem to project from the hanging forearm without support.

Rev. Plain.

Lapis lazuli. Upright oval, 14 X 12 X 2.

Obv. Isis as Demeter, clothed in long tunic and upper garment blown out behind her shoulders, running to l., holding a long flaming torch in both hands. Modius on head. Below, the upper part of a small figure, head to l., arms extended, holding two ears of grain in each hand. The posture is somewhat like that of the river Orontes as he appears at the feet of the Tyche of Antioch; but Orontes is swimming. Apparently in this design the artist chose to abandon the proper pose of the swimmer in order to give the figure the grain stalks, as appropriate for an attendant of Demeter. The running

<<previous     next>>