Down the drain is
where British archaeologists recently discovered 36 artfully engraved
semiprecious stones, in an ancient bathhouse at the site of a Roman fort
near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle, England. The colorful intaglios — gems
with incised carvings — likely fell out of signet rings worn by wealthy
third-century bathers, and ended up trapped in the stone drains.
The
delicate intaglios, fashioned from amethyst, jasper and carnelian,
range in diameter from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters — bigger than a
pencil eraser, smaller than a dime. Some bear images of Apollo, Mars,
Bonus Eventus and other Roman deities symbolizing war or good fortune.
Others showcase Ceres, the god of fertility, Sol (the sun) and Mercury
(commerce). One amethyst depicts Venus holding either a flower or a
mirror. A reddish-brown jasper features a satyr seated on rocks beside a
pillar.
How and why these stones were
lost is a subject of some debate among classicists. After six years of
archaeological detective work that has provided a tantalizing glimpse of
Roman Britain, Frank Giecco, the technical director of the Carlisle
project, believes that he and his team have solved the mystery.
Ceres, etched in red jasper, wears a belted tunic and holds a scepter in her left hand.Credit...Anna Giecco