DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.847#0023
16
INTRODUCTION.
plasma di smeraldo: the subject of it " Isis nou-
rishing Horus, or Truth teaching Time." Also ano-
ther, which was the wonder of all Rome, a Moorish
lady's head much ornamented, a proof of Etruscan
commerce with lands further south than Egypt*
where the national features were Circassian. The
Furies are represented in the tombs as Moors, with
the features and complexions of that race, but this
scarabeus is more like a portrait of some great queen
who was numbered afterwards among the Lares of
Etruria. It is highly ornamented with necklace
and earrings, whilst the Furies are always represented
with snakes twined round the head. Some of the
Etruscan scarabei are without engraving, and such
are supposed to have belonged to men who were too
poor to afford them otherwise; but I have seen a
few of such exceeding beauty that I am not con-
vinced of this being the case. They differ from
the Egyptian both in form and material, but were
worn like them on the finger and the neck. The
ancient Egyptian scarabeus was either quite plain
or inscribed, and was made of smalto, basalt, or por-
phyry. The modern Egyptian, i. e. the Egyptian
scarabeus of Roman times, was generally engraved
in a rude manner, and made of amethyst, garnet,
lapis lazuli, and various precious or semi-precious
stones. The Etruscan is always of cornelian, onyx,
sardonyx, agate, or jasper. One I have named of
plasma, one I have seen of jacynth, and a very few,
which are certainly genuine, of a coarse semi-trans-
parent amethyst. From having observed that this
INTRODUCTION.
plasma di smeraldo: the subject of it " Isis nou-
rishing Horus, or Truth teaching Time." Also ano-
ther, which was the wonder of all Rome, a Moorish
lady's head much ornamented, a proof of Etruscan
commerce with lands further south than Egypt*
where the national features were Circassian. The
Furies are represented in the tombs as Moors, with
the features and complexions of that race, but this
scarabeus is more like a portrait of some great queen
who was numbered afterwards among the Lares of
Etruria. It is highly ornamented with necklace
and earrings, whilst the Furies are always represented
with snakes twined round the head. Some of the
Etruscan scarabei are without engraving, and such
are supposed to have belonged to men who were too
poor to afford them otherwise; but I have seen a
few of such exceeding beauty that I am not con-
vinced of this being the case. They differ from
the Egyptian both in form and material, but were
worn like them on the finger and the neck. The
ancient Egyptian scarabeus was either quite plain
or inscribed, and was made of smalto, basalt, or por-
phyry. The modern Egyptian, i. e. the Egyptian
scarabeus of Roman times, was generally engraved
in a rude manner, and made of amethyst, garnet,
lapis lazuli, and various precious or semi-precious
stones. The Etruscan is always of cornelian, onyx,
sardonyx, agate, or jasper. One I have named of
plasma, one I have seen of jacynth, and a very few,
which are certainly genuine, of a coarse semi-trans-
parent amethyst. From having observed that this