Engraved precious stones (gems) had been produced in the cultures of the classical antiquity from the very beginning. They had three main uses: as jeweler, as seals and as protective amulets. Their engraving in itself does not shed light on their original function. However, at the end of the 1st century B.C. some new variants appeared which clearly had talismanic function. Even though they displayed images that had been around for ages, new motifs appeared simultaneously with these: magic signs, spells written in Greek script, which had no meaning in Greek whatsoever, 'monster' figures, and designs that were incomprehensible to the outsider. Most gems were used as ring stones, others as pendants or sewn into clothing.