Since earliest antiquity, the snake was regarded as the ultimate protection against evil. The royal crown of Egypt was decorated with the sacred cobra Uraeus, the Greek physician's caduceus has two entwined snakes, and the serpent motif appears frequently in the jewelry of the Classical age. This exquisite little ring depicts two snakes (acutally a single double-headed animal) facing in opposite directions. The person who wore it centuries ago must have been very lucky indeed, kept doubly safe by the ever-vigilant gaze of these two benign reptiles.