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

Rózsa examines a distinctive group of ancient magical gems depicting a youthful solar figure or “sun child,” interpreting the image and its accompanying inscriptions within the religious and magical traditions of the Roman Imperial period. The article explores the iconography of the figure, its connections with solar and divine imagery, and the ways in which such engraved stones were intended to function as amulets. Particular attention is given to their promised benefits—health, prosperity, and love—and to the combination of images, divine names, magical words, and symbols through which these powers were believed to be activated. By comparing surviving gems and related textual and iconographic evidence, Rózsa places the sun-child motif within the syncretic environment of Graeco-Roman magic, in which Egyptian, Greek, and other religious traditions were combined. The study illustrates how gemstones served not merely as ornaments but as portable instruments of protection and supernatural assistance in everyday life.