In this paper we discuss harvesting scenes on Graeco-Roman gems, notably the Mediterranean staple harvest crops: cereals, the vintage, and olive oil. Our study material includes gems depicting the ard, with the heads of cereal and glumes. Of particular interest is a gem from south-eastern Turkey with an unusual scene depicting the date harvest, reminiscent of an older theme which had a ritual significance. Apart from an example in the British Museum, there are several gems depicting palm trees that reference the Levant, from whence it is likely the date harvest gems originate, just as an olive harvest gem from Britain surely originates from the Mediterranean region. The paper, therefore, includes depictions of palm trees and their symbolism in the iconography of gems in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Near East, Anatolia, Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean, and references the iconography of their representations on cylinder seals as a possible analogy for related representations on Roman gems. The authors emphasize the differing symbolism of various harvesting scenes and the professional and social status of gem owners as well as the choice of the varieties of gemstone from which particular categories were fashioned.
LAFLI et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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