Italic gems from the necropoli of northern pontic cities (O. Neverov)

This paper contains a catalogue of gems in the collections of the Hermitage, Leningrad, the History Museum, Moscow, and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, discovered for the most part at Panticapaeum, Phanagoria, Chersonesus, and Olbia, and identified as the products of Italic workshops of the first century B.C. to the third century A.D. This attribution is based on the quality of the metal employed for the ring (the hoop and the mounting for the stone), and on the motifs and style of the representation. The author's conclusions are confirmed by the study of the inscriptions on the gems, analysis of the accompanying finds, and comparisons with Italic coins and engraved gems. Similar gems from excavations at Aquileia suggest that most of the items in this group are of North Italic provenance.