Engraved Scaraboid with Perseus
400–350 B.C.
The hero Perseus tiptoes forward to the left on the groundline of this gem, perhaps in pursuit of the gorgon Medusa. He wears a winged diadem and winged sandals with a cloak draped over his right shoulder. One of the two spears held in his right hand has a sickle blade, the dorydepanon, attached to the shaft. He raises his left hand towards his mouth.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)