Heliotrope gem: Helios in quadriga (A) Nike slaughtering bull (B)
Green and red jasper (heliotrope); both faces flat, trapezoid section. 
Side A: Helios is shown facing forward, his head turned to the left, encircled by four rays. He raises his right hand in greeting, while his left holds a globe and a whip. Nude except for a chlamys draped over his left shoulder, Helios stands atop a quadriga: the two outer horses turn outward (right and left), while the two inner horses face one another, with a single chariot wheel visible between them. Around the edge runs a Greek inscription, beginning at the head of the left-hand horse: αβλαναθαναλβα → the Ἀβλαναθαναλβα-palindrome. Beneath the scene, there is a secondary inscription (likely incised at a later, possibly post-antique date): τυξευι. Below this is an eight-pointed star.
Side B: Nike stands beside a bull, wearing a Phrygian cap, tunic, and flowing upper garment. Unlike typical depictions of her leaping onto the bull, she remains standing and slaughters the animal with a dagger.
Selected bibliography
• Bonner, SMA >>, D. 71; click here for the full-text excerpt.
Further resources on PP-1097
• The MET Collections
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