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‘Atiqot 71 (2012)
ISBN 2948-040X
An Engraved Carnelian Gem from Nysa-Scythopolis (Bet She’an)
(pp. 83*–88*)
Gabriel Mazor
Keywords: art, glyptics, intaglio, mythology, iconography
An intact carnelian gemstone was retrieved from the fill of the western therma in the Roman civic center of Nysa-Scythopolis (Bet She’an), along with an assortment of pottery and coins from the Roman and Byzantine periods. The gem, originally set in a ring, depicts Heracles in a scene of one of his labors: the overcoming of the Nemean lion. Based on its workmanship, style and provenience, it seems most likely that the gem dates to the second century CE.