Posted 01/16/2010 04:06 am
I think the figure in the top pic is a winged humanoid - whether it be angel, demon or something else I'm not sure. I must admit my instinctive reaction when I first saw it was "Garuda bird", from Hindu mythology, though I don;t think there's any actual connection there with this piece, since that culture has no use of the rod of Asclepius symbol. It might even be just a badly drawn eagle; the top edge of the wings definitely looks mediaeval Germanic heraldic in style, rather than ancient.
As for what it is, it's definitely not a coin. I suspect a lead token of some kind. The presence of the "rod of Asclepius" (an ancient symbol of healing in the West) implies to me it might be some kind of amulet to ward off sickness and evil.
As for what it is, it's definitely not a coin. I suspect a lead token of some kind. The presence of the "rod of Asclepius" (an ancient symbol of healing in the West) implies to me it might be some kind of amulet to ward off sickness and evil.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
