Ancient Roman Glass Pendants and Disk with Stamped Ornament

$189.56

An ancient Roman stamped light blue glass pendant, featuring a circular shape and a thick suspension loop to the top. The surface, a bit dulled due to ageing, features some iridescence and earthly encrustations.The reverse appears flat and unworked. Although the encrustations to the glass do not allow for a precise identification, the stamped decoration might be representing an animal, such as a turtle or a frog, or even the head of Medusa. Stamped glass pendants featuring the head of the Gorgon would have been worn with apotropaic meanings.

Date: Circa 4th-5th Century AD
Condition: Very fine, rare items. Some earthly encrustations to the surface.
SKU: CS-286 Category: Tags: , ,

These wonderful pendants were thought to be accessories made to bring good fortune to their wearer. Ancient Romans believed that wearing trinkets like these disks would not only provide them with luck but also ward off the evil eye.  Iconographies were extremely differentiated, including apotropaic symbols, images of deities and animals. The Medusa was a mythological female creature with hair made of living venomous snakes. It was said that gazing into her eyes would turn you to stone. Medusa was beheaded by the greek hero Perseus, who managed to defeat her by looking into the reflection on his shield, avoiding petrification by making eye-contact.

To find out more about Roman glass please see our relevant blog posts: Ancient Glass and Collecting Roman Glass.

Weight 1.9 g
Dimensions L 2.3 x W 1.7 cm
Culture

Glass

Region

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, item 0.130.2820

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