CLASSICAL PERIOD, CIRCA MID 5TH CENTURY B.C.

A running horse at full gallop with loose reins flying behind was a popular subject during the Classical period (see pls. 475-477 in Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings). Here the horse is further embellished around its neck with either a wreath or a collar of bells. Letters, which Sangiorgi considered Etruscan but Boardman and Wagner see as Greek, fill the open space in the field but as of yet defy translation.

On the back of the scaraboid exploiting a red layer in the stone is an acorn in relief, which is a true cameo, one of the earliest examples known. The side view of the stone shows how the acorn is at an oblique angle in relation to the flat base but still within the profile of the original domed back, so perhaps the acorn was cut to counteract a chip. Microscopic examination of the surface indicates that the acorn and the inscription are ancient, but both could have been added in antiquity at a later date.