Materials:
Rock crystal
Dimensions:
2.8 cm
Setting:
Naples, MAN; inv. 158836
Provenance:
Pompeii
Date:
First century AD
The insect, lacking one end, is depicted with closed wings and with eyes rendered by two obvious protuberances. Small objects in this material were used as necklace pendants, and originated in Egypt, where they functioned as amulets: this one representing a fly was used, clearly, against those insects.