Circa 100-300 AD An oval shaped intaglio formed in carnelian with incribed with the goddess Ceres, holding a sceptre and bending, picking wheat. Ceres was beloved for her service to mankind in giving them the gift of the harvest, the reward for cultivation of the soil. Also known as the Greek goddess Demeter, Ceres was the goddess of the harvest and was credited with teaching humans how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain and corn. She was believed to be responsible for the fertility of the land. For another similar style of Ceres intaglio see: Barbara Ann Forbes, Catalogue of engraved gems in The Art Museum. Dissertation (Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, 1978)., p. 73-4, pl. 15:58 Size: L:16mm / W:11mm; 0.8g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.