Discover
Symbols
Search researched meanings first, then narrow by tradition, era, object, practical use, style, or emotion.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Gorgoneion Roof Antefix
A terrifying Gorgon face once fixed to the edge of an Archaic Greek roof, confronting approaching harm with staring eyes, bared teeth, and a protruding tongue.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Phoenix Flame Crest
The phoenix makes destruction part of a larger cycle: death is followed by renewed life. This flame crest turns that long-lived story into an emblem of renewal, hope, resilience and transformation after loss.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Abrasax Gem
A Roman magical gem showing Abrasax with rooster head, human torso, serpent legs, shield, and whip—a composite image used for protection.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Crab BARCHA Gem
A Roman yellow-jasper magical gem combining a crab, a BARCHA word variant, and the seven Greek vowels, while leaving its precise intended benefit unresolved.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Laurel
Laurel was a clear late-Victorian emblem of glory, continuing an older classical association with honour and victory while period dictionaries distinguished several other plants bearing the laurel name.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Phallic Pendant
A deliberately provocative Roman amulet that used phallic and genital imagery to repel the evil eye.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Attic Eye-Cup Device
The bold paired eyes of an Archaic Attic drinking cup, often read as an apotropaic gaze but still open to debate.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Cave Canem Threshold Mosaic
A chained dog at a Pompeian doorway accompanied by CAVE CANEM—“Beware of the dog”—as a direct warning at the household threshold.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Chnoubis Gem
A Roman-period gem of the lion-headed serpent Chnoubis, a protective figure whose gem type was especially associated with digestive healing.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Crescent Lunula Amulet
A crescent-shaped amulet from Roman-period Egypt associated with divine lunar protection.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Evil Eye Attack Charm
A Roman terracotta charm in which two phallus-headed figures attack the evil eye with a saw, turning protection into a vivid counter-assault.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Greek-Letter Incantation Gem
A Roman onyx amulet densely inscribed on both sides with an incantation in Greek letters, preserving protective words whose precise force is not stated in the museum record.
Classical Antiquity · documented field
Hekataion Crossroads Figure
A triple-bodied figure of Hekate associated with pathways and crossroads, expressing guardianship at places of passage and uncertain direction.
