gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, Crete, Egypt, Turkey, Near East, Ashmolean Museum

The collection of Minoan gems in the Ashmolean is probably the most important outside Crete. The bulk of it consists of seals collected by Sir Arthur Evans, many of them during his early travels in Crete before 1900 while the island was still under Turkish rule. This first methodical catalogue of the collection, well arranged, excellently described, with full references and apt comments, is very much to be welcomed. It is preceded by a general survey of Minoan seals and their relationship to the early seals of Egypt and the Near East. Here the author’s views are always interesting, even if somewhat Delphic at times. This was perhaps inevitable in view of the many uncertainties surrounding the exact chronological horizons in which the seals and their impressions in clay have been found, particularly in the case of the earlier periods, Early Minoan and Middle Minoan. Sinkankas: Large and handsome work on Cretan seals. The first part is a general treatise on the subject which discusses seals and cylinders, seal beads and forms, development and use of incised motifs and symbols and their meanings. The second part is a catalog of specimens in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford; descriptions include dimensions, materials, etc. Scholarly.