A Gold Ring from Afghanistan Set with a Garnet Intaglio

Abstract

An unusual gold ring from Afghanistan, set with a garnet intaglio, is now in the al-Sabah Museum collection, Kuwait (inv. no. LNS 4598 J). This ring illustrates how in the early centuries CE iconographic elements from both the East and the West were combined and adapted in Afghanistan to suit local religious beliefs. The iconography of both the gold ring-setting and the garnet intaglio is based on classical prototypes. The eagle and child motif on the gold ring is close to classical versions of Ganymede and the eagle; and the standing female figure on the intaglio is clearly a fertility goddess derived from images of Aphrodite, who is often accompanied by a small Eros or putto. Neither the female deity nor the half-figure on the intaglio can be identified with any certainty, but parallels can be drawn between them and other figures on a number of Classical and Sasanian intaglios, coins, and silver objects.