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Roman intaglio (Mercury and Fortuna)
Two figures stand facing the centre. At left is a naked male holding what is intended for the caduceus of Mercury, and also a chlamys. At right is a clothed female carrying behind her the cornucopiae which is usually associated with Fortuna, and again a chlamys. At her feet, and in front, a few lines remain of what is probably a steering-oar, though it is mostly lost. The stone is heavily chipped at the top and bottom, and along the centre, obscuring much of the detail. Fresh at the edges, quite worn at the crown.
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.
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Site Name: Caerleon Fortress Baths, Caerleon
Notes: from the site of the frigidarium at the baths
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