Ancient gems are precious stones with engraved images. Intaglios (gems with incised negative images) functioned as seals, jewelry, and amulets. Cameos (with raised relief images) were jewels or for display. Gems are a testimony to social and cultural history and reflect historical events.

This book looks at their history from the Minoan/Mycenaean period to Late Antiquity (4th/3rd millennium BC - 5th century AD) andtheir continued use and reinterpretation in the Middle Ages, as well as their reception by collectors, experts, and artists from the Middle Ages to Modern Times.