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Engraved magnetite gem with a long-haired male figure

Image attached to CG 513

An image of Engraved gems. Magical amulet. Obverse: male figure with hair hanging to shoulders, standing to the front. The right hand is raised to the brow in a rigid gesture normally reserved for expressing mourning or prayer; the left arm hangs loosely by the side and holds a short sceptre or libation sprinkler. The figure is clad in a tunic-like garment which comes to just above the ankles. Traces of cross-bandaging suggests that a mummy performing some ritual is intended. The head-dress is a poorly realized hemhem crown. Reverse: inscription. Intaglio cutting, magnetite, 16 mm x 11 mm, circa 200- circa 400 AD. Roman Imperial.

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About this image

Engraved gems. Magical amulet. Obverse: male figure with hair hanging to shoulders, standing to the front. The right hand is raised to the brow in a rigid gesture normally reserved for expressing mourning or prayer; the left arm hangs loosely by the side and holds a short sceptre or libation sprinkler. The figure is clad in a tunic-like garment which comes to just above the ankles. Traces of cross-bandaging suggests that a mummy performing some ritual is intended. The head-dress is a poorly realized hemhem crown. Reverse: inscription. Intaglio cutting, magnetite, 16 mm x 11 mm, circa 200- circa 400 AD. Roman Imperial.

Image data

  • Accession Number: CG 513
  • 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: 284.14kB
  • Exposure time: 1/15
  • ISO Speed: 100
  • Fnumber: 32/1
  • Captured: 2014:04:25 17:07:44

Key words

3rd Century 4th Century AD amulet antiquity clothes crown engraved gem figure Fitz_ANT gemstones hair head-dress headdress hemhem crown incised intaglio intaglio cutting long hair long haired magical amulet magnetite male ritual Roman Roman Imperial sceptre tunic

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Engraved magnetite gem with a long-haired male figure" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-112144328 Accessed: 2025-12-23 21:49:42

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-112144328 |title=Engraved magnetite gem with a long-haired male figure |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-23 21:49:42|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Engraved magnetite gem with a long-haired male figure</figcaption>
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