A Rare Rock-Crystal Object from Pompeii

A Furniture Inlay, a Medical Instrument, a Magnifying Lens or a Gaming Piece?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the function of a small—16 mm in diameter and 7 mm high—lathe-turned object in rock crystal. This is an object in a material that was regarded as very valuable and belongs to a relatively rare category of finds, but what merits discussion concerning its function is the fact that it is a true lens. As no definitive answer as to its function can be given, a number of hypothetical possibilities are presented: that it was a furniture inlay; that it functioned as a burning glass for medical purposes; that it was a magnifying aid used in the manufacture of gems and suchlike objects; that it was a magnifying aid employed when writing and/or reading, or that it was a magnifying gaming piece that was used for playing a specific type of board game. Of the different solutions presented, the suggestion that it was a gaming piece seems most likely.