Such glass pendants have been found across the Roman Empire and would have been worn by men, women and children. Most often worn as a necklace adornment, amulets were worn above clothing to be visible and clearly admired. Thus, they would have largely been worn by Romans as an amuletic device, to bring good luck and ward off evil. The iconography depicted could be varied and multiple amulets with varying subjects could have been worn at one time. From the nature of their subjects we can ascertain that such amulets would have had two points of manufacture. The primary point would have created the glass and the secondary workshop would have impressed the die. Such workshops would have had a catalogue of dies in the hundreds and amulets such as this resemble the imagery used on coins and intaglios. Workshops would have been able to produce hundreds of such amulets and their catalogue of dies would have included images of deities, Christian and Jewish motifs, zodiac signs and apotropaic animals.
Glass amulets with lions were amongst the most popular of motifs. The theme’s prototype would have been numismatic in nature, borrowed from Hellenistic coins of Alexander and Antiochos I. Lions, as a Roman astronomical sign, were associated with solar imagery, hence the inclusion of crescent moons and stars (seen on other examples). As within most ancient cultures, the lion in Roman times, was associated with strength and prowess, with the ability to both protect and destroy. As an amulet, it would have been worn by the wearer with the hope that such a subject would offer some protection.
To learn more about Roman glass, visit our relevant post: How It Was Made: Roman Glass.
