Ancient Greek 'Masterpiece' Revealed on Thumb-Size Gem
The scene's stunning detail is etched with intricate precision and depicts a victorious warrior in combat.
A stunning work of art etched on a gemstone no larger than an inch and a half was revealed after researchers washed away thousands of years of limestone and grime.
The team of researchers first found the masterpiece two years ago, but they had regarded it as little more than a small bead. It was in a collection of 1,400 artifacts unearthed in the 3,500-year-old tomb of a Bronze Age warrior buried in southwest Greece. The stone, which the researchers have now dubbed the "Pylos Combat Agate," would have likely been used as a small piece of jewelry said Shari Stocker, one of the dig leaders.
The tomb itself was a remarkable find when researchers discovered it in 2015. It housed the
