gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, amulet, Greek, Roman, gems for healing, medicinal use of gems, amulets, magical gems

Sinkankas: Scholarly, virtually unique in its thesis, this work pursues and documents the argument that many engraved gems of antiquity were actually magical amulets and not Gnostic or religious gems as formerly believed by a number of authorities—for example, C.W. King, whose Gnostics and Their Remains, 2nd edition (1887), receives sharp criticism. Of this work, the author further states that “taken as a whole… [it] is a book from which a modern investigator can draw little profit” (p. 45). The introduction discusses amulets and their supposed virtues in various cultures, offers remarks on the materials from which they were made, and in the main text, systematically surveys the classes of amulets believed to confer protection to the wearer in regard to health, personal attractiveness, and beyond. The text is richly detailed and abundantly footnoted; this work is referenced in later treatises on engraved gems and amulets.