Alexandria : a manufacturing center of magic gems

Autorka podpisana na publikacji: Grażyna Bąkowska. Strona wydawcy: https://www.wuj.pl

Magic gems were very popular amulets in the second and third centuries AD. Figures, inscriptions, and symbols found on them represent the beliefs of different regions of the antique world providing us with an interesting example of the syncretism of the time’s cultures. They bear witness to emerging philosophical and religious currents. Their images and inscriptions refer to the then popular gnostic religion. Most carvings, however, hark back to the art and religion of Ancient Egypt. Some representations relate to Alexandria, occasionally repeated on the city’s coinage. Existing research shows that magic gems were produced mainly in eastern centers, especially in Egypt. Much evidence suggests that the chief manufacturing center was Alexandria, considered the most cosmopolitan city of the Antiquity where the cultural and religious currents of the then entire world converged.