Cameo gem

Unknown

3rd–4th century A.D.

Sardonyx

J. Paul Getty Museum

This is a profile view of a carved cameo gem depicting a bust of a person wearing a helmet and draped clothing. The carving is detailed, with fine lines indicating hair and fabric folds. A goddess wearing a helmet decorates this Roman cameo. She is possibly Athena, the goddess of wisdom, or Roma, the personification of the city of Rome. A ring with a portrait of a divinity functioned as an amulet, placing the wearer under the deity's protection. Athena was a popular motif for such amulet rings. In mythology she was often a protector of heroes such as Herakles or Theseus. She was also connected with practical activities like skilled crafts and healing. The goddess Roma represented Roman power and the earliest known cults to her were in Greece in the second century B.C. She later became associated with the cult of the