This copy was made of a dark red carnelian gemstone possibly originating from a ring, decorated with the figure of Diana. The depiction of the goddess during hunting resembles the famous marble statue, the Artemis of Versailles: Diana is wearing a short dress and a mantle wrapped around her waist, she is holding a bow in her left hand while drawing an arrow with her right hand from the quiver hanging across her back. Presumably, this depiction type evolved from a late Classical period (fourth century BC) statue — possibly by the sculptor Leochares — and also remained incredibly popular in the Roman period. However, the gemma from Brigetio differs in some details from the statue: for example, beside Diana’s feet, her hunting dog is represented instead of a deer. It is possible that this animal accompanied Artemis on the ancient Greek prototype as well.
