Representations of Animals on Greek and Roman Engraved Gems: Meanings and interpretations

Whereas animals are a frequent depiction on gemstones within the Greek and Roman periods, and play a key role in symbolic representations on these engraved gems, they have generally been overlooked with little in the way of focussed academic study. In the present research, a large group of Greek and Roman gems (intaglios) bearing depictions of animals was selected. The gems are presented through a detailed study of the themes described in an attempt to form a comprehensive approach to the d...