This beautiful Roman hand-engraved intaglio, in dark orange-red colour carnelian, depicts the mythological image of 2-horse chariot (biga) race, driven by bigarius, in the agon of ancient Greece.

Agon comes from the Greek word agōn and that world has a number of meanings, among them “contest,” “competition at games and athletics” and “gathering.” In ancient Greece, agons were contests held during public festivals, just like Olympic Games.

The biga is the two-horse chariot as used in ancient Rome for sport, transportation, and ceremonies. Two-horse chariots are a common icon on Roman coins (bigatus), a type of denarius so called because it depicted a biga.

CONDITION: In a good condition with a slight chip. Wear and tear marks. The item is described to the best of our knowledge. Please refer to the pictures and email us with any questions.