Signa Imperii on an Amulet

Extract

A haematite amulet against colic, belonging to the National Museum at Copenhagen and published in Symb. Osl., XIX, 76 f. (Fig. 2), has increased in interest since Campbell Bonner studied the type closely and on important points corrected my own interpretation, Harvard Theological Review, XXXV, 87 ff., XXXVII, 333 f. The place of origin of these amulets is Syria; the Michigan specimen discussed by Bonner derives from Aleppo and has been republished by P. R. Mouterde (Mélanges de l'Université Saint Joseph, XXV (1942–43), 112, no. 20, see ib., pl. 7, no. 20): “Dieu imberbe, nu, à g., debout sur une base moulurée; il porte une besace sur l'épaule g. et dresse la droite. Au pied de la base, à g., aigle éployé tourné vers le dieu. Dans le champ, à g., signe indistinct, astérisque et une lettre ou deux lettres liées, Δ, ou | Δ, ou Δ |. Une palme, au sommet et à dr., encadre la scène.” This Michigan specimen reproduces only one half of the original figuration, as we conclude from the Copenhagen specimen. If we follow the suggestion of Campbell Bonner, p. 87, we may guess that the original colic-amulet has been bisected, in order to make two equally good amulets “against colic” — in fact the design divides itself into two independent parts. The right one represents the “Marsyas” of the Forum Romanum, as H. Seyrig saw, referring to Hill's publication of the Palestine coins in the Brit. Mus., Cat., Nos. 118–120 (see Campbell Bonner, l.c., p. 334.)