Engraved steatite gem with an ibis

An image of Engraved gems. Magical amulet. Obverse: altar table or door and lintel of a naos, with three daggers, nails or plant-like stalks emanating from a point in the centre of its top. The table-like structure seems to be positioned over a baetylic pillar. To the furthest left of these projections is tied an ibis; the straight cord is pulled taut and comes to the centre of the bird's back. The ibis strides left with a hieratic gait. On either side of the bird and altar-like structure, and suspended level with the bird's breast, are two vaguely S-shaped aquiggles, possibly meant as uraei; above, a star. The reverse is blank. Intaglio cutting, grey steatite, 20 mm x 17 mm, circa 200-circa 400 AD. Roman Imperial.

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Engraved gems. Magical amulet. Obverse: altar table or door and lintel of a naos, with three daggers, nails or plant-like stalks emanating from a point in the centre of its top. The table-like structure seems to be positioned over a baetylic pillar. To the furthest left of these projections is tied an ibis; the straight cord is pulled taut and comes to the centre of the bird's back. The ibis strides left with a hieratic gait. On either side of the bird and altar-like structure, and suspended level with the bird's breast, are two vaguely S-shaped aquiggles, possibly meant as uraei; above, a star. The reverse is blank. Intaglio cutting, grey steatite, 20 mm x 17 mm, circa 200-circa 400 AD. Roman Imperial.

Image data

Accession Number: CG 504
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/32.0
Focal length: 105
Camera: NIKON D800
Photographer name: Jaymes Sinclair
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 684 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
Filesize: 394.62kB
Exposure time: 1/15
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 32/1
Captured: 2014:04:25 11:01:47

Key words

3rd Century 4th Century AD altar amulet antiquity birds bound dagger engraved gem Fitz_ANT gemstones ibis incised intaglio intaglio cutting magical amulet Roman Roman Imperial shrine soapstone steatite tied

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Engraved steatite gem with an ibis"
            Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/image/media-201390 Accessed: 2025-12-17 20:23:22

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            {{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/image/media-201390
            |title=Engraved steatite gem with an ibis
            |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-17 20:23:22|publisher=The
            University of Cambridge}}

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/ant/ant46/CG_20504_1_201404_jas244_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Magical amulet"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Engraved steatite gem with an ibis</figcaption>
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