gems, antique gems, early lapidary, glyptic

Zwierlein-Diehl catalogues the ancient engraved gems in the Antiquities Department of the Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin as part of the series Antike Gemmen in deutschen Sammlungen. The collection encompasses Greek, Etruscan, Roman Republican, and Imperial glyptic works, including intaglios, cameos, and glass pastes. Individual catalogue entries document the material, form, dimensions, technique, engraved subject, style, and date of the objects, with discussion of parallels and extensive photographic documentation. The iconography includes deities, heroes, mythological subjects, portraits, animals, and symbolic motifs. The volume provides an important reference for ancient glyptic art and for the study and identification of the gemstone materials, engraving techniques, iconography, and chronology represented in the Berlin collection.