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Engraved and Carved Gems as Talismans: Metropolitan

A curious amulet, apparently belonging to the Gnostic variety, and intended to bring success to the owner of a racehorse, is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. The material is green jasper with red spots. On the obverse the horse is figured with the victor's palm and the name Tiberis; on the reverse appears the vulture-headed figure of the Abraxas god and the characters, "ZACTA LAW BAPIA," which have been translated, "Iao the Destroyer and Creator." (King, Catalogue of Engraved Gems, Metropolitan Museum of Art, No. 302, 1885.) Possibly this amulet may have been attached to the horse during his races to insure victory, as we know that amulets of this kind were used in this way.