Possessed of an ancient magic, this rare votive evokes the very dawn of western civilization. Offered thousands of years ago at the shrine of a powerful deity, its exact meaning remains as mysterious as the cult itself. The images on the disk, reminiscent of cave paintings, seem to focus on the forces of nature and fertility. On one side is a magnificent antlered stag; on the other are a duck, a horned goat, and a seated idol. The circular disk itself culminates in the abstract head of a bird, perhaps a metaphor for the soul. To hold it today as some forgotten person held it long ago is to feel its ancient magic, mysterious and timeless, far older than memory.