How were these carvings created? How were they viewed and interacted with by people in the ancient (and modern) world? What relevance does the stone itself, its feel and its color have to these amulets? Why are they so small in the first place? I am going to explore these issues in greater or lesser depth by pulling in analytical approaches drawn from some of the class readings as well as outside sources. At present I am thinking about using Tilley for exploring the physicality of the stone, Shanks and a few sources on Mesopotamian Cylinder seals for social and technical issues surrounding the amulets production and consumption, and Doug Bailey and others on issues of miniaturization. The color of the stone is also an interesting question and here I will supplement Tilley with ancient sources, such as Dioscorides and Pliny which talk about color and properties of stones. A further issue I would like to think about is the possible role of the amulets in ritual and whether or not they can be viewed as ritual objects if ritual is primarily conceived of as a group- integrating practice involving special time scales and spectacular events/settings.