EGYPT. Uncertain. Circa 2nd-4th centuries. Gnostic Amulet (Lead, 14 mm, 1.30 g, 12 h). ABPA-CA-Ξ Jupiter (?) seated to left, holding patera and scepter. Rev. IAⲰ Abrasax facing, with the head of a rooster and snakes for legs, holding a whip in his right hand and a shield in his left. Unpublished. An intriguing 'Gnostic' amulet with hitherto unknown iconography. Very fine.



In Boersema's catalogue recording a corpus of 190 lead 'Gnostic' amulets, the iconographical range of this kind of artifact is clearly shown. Most commonly encountered is the image of the serpent-legged figure sometimes called Abrasax, but other images appear in the series as well: an enigmatic seated figure with amphorae, a hand, Horus on a lotus flower and an anchor with fishes. The image on our piece, of a seated figure holding a patera and a scepter, is unpublished and hitherto unknown. Cf. G. Boersema [2022]: Roman Lead 'Iao Abrasax' Amulets, in: Koinon V, p. 84-129.