File:58Ef20 (FindID 388829).jpg

English: A oval silver hollow framed pendant set with a green intaglio with what appears to be a figure of Mercury. The loop is circular with a rat tail finish set vertically down the back of the pendant. The intaglio is crimped into position with a beaded border below the rim. The loop shows little wear.

Report by James Robinson (Curator of Later Medieval Collections) and Richard Hobbs (Curator of Romano-British Collections) - British Museum:

A medieval pendant, set with a green Classical gem (possibly jasper) engraved with a nude male figure standing facing with head right (his head is probably helmeted), a chlamys draped over his right arm and an object, probably a sword, in his left. The suspension loop survives and terminates in a tapering point on the reverse in the manner of a seal matrix. The pendant undoubtedly had an amuletic significance for the owner. Classical gems were more usually employed in a seal matrix design than in simple pendants.

The pendant is silver and dates from the thirteenth century. The gem dates to the 2nd century AD.

Discussion: it is not obvious who the figure represents; it might be Alexander the Great, or alternatively a Homeric figure such as Achilles or Theseus; to the wearer it might have been considered to be the Roman god Mars. Parallels for the gem can be found in Henig 2007, nos. 468-9*.