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Lot Essay
The oval, domed stone with a convex back is engraved with the nude Diomedes, bearded and with thick curling hair, wearing Pilos helmet, running away with the Palladion from Troy. He is holding the Palladion statue of Athena, with crested helmet, shield and spear, and a sword in this other hand. For similar gems with Diomedes running or standing, rather than sitting or jumping over the altar of Apollo, cf. "Diomedes", in LIMC, Vol III, nos. 34, 82, 86, 87 and 93.
This was a very popular motif from the story of Diomedes and Odysseus making a night raid on Troy to steal the Palladion and thus win victory for the Greeks with the deception of the Trojan Horse. It was carried back by Diomedes to the Greeks and according to various myths, was either then taken by him, or the Trojan exile Aeneas, to Rome where it became a sacred object representing the continued success of Roman rule. It was kept under the protection of the Vestal Virgins for several centuries, and according to Pliny (Natural Histories, VII, XLIII), saved from fire in 241 B.C.. In late antiquity it was thought to have been taken to Constantinople by Constantine the Great.
This was a very popular motif from the story of Diomedes and Odysseus making a night raid on Troy to steal the Palladion and thus win victory for the Greeks with the deception of the Trojan Horse. It was carried back by Diomedes to the Greeks and according to various myths, was either then taken by him, or the Trojan exile Aeneas, to Rome where it became a sacred object representing the continued success of Roman rule. It was kept under the protection of the Vestal Virgins for several centuries, and according to Pliny (Natural Histories, VII, XLIII), saved from fire in 241 B.C.. In late antiquity it was thought to have been taken to Constantinople by Constantine the Great.