Asset Overview
Shell carved in amber. 1st century CE. Tumulus of Cortil-Noirmont (province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium). Musée du Cinquantenaire (Brussels, Belgium). Made with CapturingReality.
This object refers to beliefs, superstitions and the hope of salvation of the soul. A jewel fashioned in materials to which the ancients attributed magical and beneficial virtues. The deceased of Cortil-Noirmont had brought small objects, jewels and an amber shell to the tomb. The amber shell is decorated with a winged capricorn carrying the funeral urn between his hooves. The rite of depositing these objects in the tombs was introduced in Gaul by the Romans.
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