400-300BC Ancient Greek Lead Gorgoneion Medusa Head Aegis of Protection i49314

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400-300BC Ancient Greek Lead Gorgoneion Medusa Head Aegis of Protection i49314:
$427.50

Item: i49314

Authentic

Ancient Greek Lead Gorgoneion Medusa Head Aegis of Protection circa 400-300 B.C.
4.4 x 3.2 centimeters (50.31 grams)

This head of a gorgoneion is a \"scary\" face that was used to ward off evil. The most famous example being the head of Medusa which Athena placed on her shield to turn her enemies into a stone, making it also known as an aegis. The head of the gorgon, or gorgoneion has been used as symbol of protection through Roman times. You can notice the head of a gorgoneion in the famous mosaic of from Pompeii with Alexander the Great being on his chest. You can also see this symbol on many military vests of the Roman emperors. This head may have been mounted at the center of a shield, or perhaps another place that it could have been used as an amulet of protection or aegis.

Provenance: From private collection in the United States of America.
Ownership History: From private collection in the United States, bought in private sale in the United States of America.

You are offerding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.

Theaegis or aigis, as stated in the Iliad, is carried byAthena andZeus, but its nature is uncertain. It had been interpreted as an animal skin or a shield, sometimes bearing the head of aGorgon. There may be a connection with a deity namedAex or Aix, a daughter ofHelios and a nurse of Zeus or alternatively a mistress of Zeus (Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 13). The aegis of Athena is referred to in several places in the Iliad. It produced a sound as from a myriad roaring dragons (Iliad, 4.17) and was borne by Athena in battle \"... and among them went bright-eyed Athene, holding the precious aegis which is ageless and immortal: a hundred tassels of pure gold hang fluttering from it, tight-woven each of them, and each the worth of a hundred oxen.\"

Medusa, the gorgon, was beheaded by the heroPerseus, who thereafter used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on hershield. Inclassical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in theevil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. Gorgons were a popular image in Greek mythology, appearing in the earliest of written records ofAncient Greek religious beliefs such as those of Homer, which may date to as early as 1194–1184 BC. Because of their legendary and powerful gaze that could turn one to stone, images of the Gorgons were put upon objects and buildings for protection.

The modern concept of doing something \"under someone\'s aegis\" means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source. The word aegis is identified with protection by a strong force with its roots inGreek mythology and adopted by the Romans; there are parallels inNorse mythology and inEgyptian mythology as well, where the Greek word aegis is applied by extension.

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