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Jewelry of the Ancients

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408                      JEWELRY OF THE ANCIENTS.
" To the celestial Juno, dedicated by Ammonius for good luck," marking it a bribe to secure the future patronage of this divinity. Another large gem, figured by Caylus, represents Serapis attended by Venus with various attributes, and the statement that it was engraved ΚΑΤΑ XPHMATICMON, " by command of an oracle."
But the most interesting monument of such a dedication, fur­nishing us as it does with the list of the contents of a wealthy Roman lady's jewel-box, is the inscription given by Montfaucon, Pl. 136, cut upon the pedestal formerly supporting a statue of Isis as is supposed, discovered at Alicante. It records that " by divine command Fabia Fabiana had dedicated in honour of her granddaughter Avita (deceased, it would appear) 112-1/2 pounds weight of silver plate : also, ornaments in the hasilicum (diadem), one unio," and six pearls, emeralds two, cylindri (beryls) seven, carbuncle one gem, hyacinth one gem, ceraunice (rubies) two. In her ears : emeralds two, pearls two. On her neck : a quadri-bacium, or quadruple row of pearls thirty-six, emeralds eighteen. In two circlets (dusuris) on her legs : emeralds two, cylindri eleven. In her bracelets (smialliis) : emeralds eight, pearls eight. On her little finger, two rings with diamonds : on the next finger, a ring with many gems (polypssephus), emeralds and one pearl ; on the top-joint of the same finger a ring with an emerald. Upon her shoes, cylindri eight in number."
It cannot be imagined that in the flourishing times of art the Greeks attempted to enhance the divine beauty of their embodied deities by bedizening them in the jewelry of people of fashion, but such had become the regular practice with the superstitious, semi-Oriental devotees of the Lower Empire. A remarkable ex­ample is the famous necklace of the most costly stones upon the statue of Vesta, to whoso vengeance Zosimus (a devoted adherent to the ancient faith) ascribes the tragic end of Serena, Stilicho's widow, who had despoiled her of it. This was done after her temple bad been deserted by its former guardians, in con­sequence of the confiscation of its revenues by the needy govern­ment, though still for some time protected from robbery by the religio loci. The historian, though lamenting the cruel fate of
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