Down the drain is where British archaeologists recently discovered 36 artfully engraved semiprecious stones, in an ancient bathhouse at the site of a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall in Carlisle, England. The colorful intaglios — gems with incised carvings — probably fell out of signet rings worn by wealthy third-century bathers, and ended up trapped in the stone drains.
The delicate intaglios, fashioned from amethyst, jasper and carnelian, range in diameter from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters — bigger than a pencil eraser, smaller than a dime. Some bear images of Apollo, Mars, Bonus Eventus and other Roman deities symbolizing war or good fortune. Others showcase Ceres, the god of fertility, Sol (the sun) and Mercury (commerce).
How and why these stones were lost is a subject of some debate among classicists. After six years of archaeological detective work that has provided a tantalizing glimpse of Roman Britain, Frank Giecco, technical director of the Carlisle project, believes that he and his team have solved the mystery.
Historically, two kinds of engraved gems were worn mounted on finger rings: intaglios, which have designs cut as a depression into the surface of the gem; and cameos, with designs that project from the background, a raised image in relief.
Statesman Cicero observed that people wore portraits of their favorite philosophers on their rings, a tradition that has not survived on today's QVC Network.
The excavation at the Carlisle Cricket Club began in 2017 and quickly revealed a bathhouse that "was truly colossal in scale," Giecco said.
The bathhouse was built along the river Eden and safely situated behind Hadrian's Wall, the empire's northern border.
Upon entering the bathhouse in the third century, your first stop was the apodyterium, or changing room, where you removed everything but your bath sandals, which were needed to protect your feet from the heated floors. Prosperous patrons had slaves to guard their belongings; poorer bathers paid the attendants. Some may have held on to their baubles in the pools to prevent the valuables from being stolen.
