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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
Mars, wearing cuirass and armoured skirt, stands facing front and left, holding a spear vertically before him with his right hand, his left resting on a shield behind. Between his left arm and body hangs drapery or perhaps another weapon. A chip missing from the top rear, and shows moderate wear.
This is one of 88 engraved gemstones retrieved in 1979, mostly from the filling of a large drain beneath the cold hall of the fortress baths. The gemstones would originally have been set in finger-rings, and served as signets and charms or talismans for their owners. They were products of extremely skilled craftsman who worked on a minute scale without the aid of magnification. The gems are engraved with a wide range of deities, personification and symbols.
Site Name: Caerleon Fortress Baths, Caerleon
Notes: from the site of the frigidarium at the baths
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