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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1983.24
Title
Engraved Gem with Uterine Symbol and Egyptian Deities
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
3rd-4th century CE
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289208

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hematite
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.5 x 1.7 cm (9/16 x 11/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: in the field on the obverse in Greek characters,
    IAW
    surrounded by the text known as the "soroor-logos": COPOOPMEPΦΡΕΓΑΡΒΑΜΑΦΡΟΥΡΙΓΙΞΑΕ

    On the reverse in Greek characters in two lines,
    OPWPIYΘ

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Charles Dikran Kelekian, New York, (by 1982)], by descent; to his daughter Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York, (1982-1983), gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney
Accession Year
1983
Object Number
1983.24
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Hematite uterine intaglio. On one side is a uterus with a key at its entrance (locking it) and the small figures of Isis, Chnoubis and the mummy of Anubis over it. In the field below the gem the Greek letters "IAW." All within an ouroboros and the magical inscription called the Soroor-Logos. The stone is chipped at both the top and bottom. On the other side in Greek letters is the word "OPWPIYTh" in two lines surrounded by a beveled edge.

Publication History

  • Simone Michel, Die magischen Gemmen: Zu Bildern und Zauberformeln auf geschnittenen Steinen der Antike und Neuzeit, Akademie Verlag (Berlin, Germany, 2004), 335, no. 54.2.d.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu