Bowls used in magic to protect against evil influences
Incantation bowls are a form of
protective magic found in what is now
Iraq and
Iran. Produced in the Middle East during
late antiquity from the sixth to eighth centuries, particularly in
Upper Mesopotamia and
Syria,[1] the bowls were usually inscribed in a spiral, beginning from the rim and moving toward the center. Most are inscribed in
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic.
The
bowls were buried face down and were meant to capture
demons. They were commonly placed under the threshold, courtyards, in the corner of the homes of the recently deceased and in
cemeteries.[2]
The majority of
Mesopotamia's population were either
Christian,
Manichaean,
Mandaean,
Jewish, or adherents of the
ancient Babylonian religion, all of whom spoke Aramaic dialects.
Zoroastrians who spoke
Persian also lived here.
Mandaeans and
Jews each used their own Aramaic variety, although very closely related. A subcategory of incantation bowls are those used in Jewish and Christian magical practice (see
Jewish magical papyri for context). The majority of recovered incantation bowls were written in Jewish Aramaic. These are followed in frequency by the
Mandaic language and then
Syriac. A handful of bowls have been discovered that were written in
Arabic or Persian. An estimated 10% of incantation bowls were not written in any real language but
pseudo-script. They are thought to be forgeries by illiterate “scribes” and sold to illiterate clients. The bowls are thought to have been regularly commissioned across religious lines.[3]
Archaeological finds
To date only around 2000 incantation bowls have been registered as archaeological finds, but since they are widely dug up in the Middle East, there may be tens of thousands in the hands of private collectors and traders. Aramaic incantation bowls from
Sasanian Mesopotamia are an important source for studying the everyday beliefs of Jews, Christians, Mandaeans, Manichaeans, Zoroastrians, and pagans on the eve of the
early Muslim conquests.[4]
In Judaism
A subcategory of incantation bowls are those used in Jewish and Christian magical practice.[5][6] Aramaic incantation bowls are an important source of knowledge about Jewish magical practices, particularly the nearly eighty surviving Jewish incantation bowls from
Babylon during the rule by the
Sasanian Empire (226-636), primarily from the Jewish diaspora settlement in
Nippur. These bowls were used in magic to protect against evil influences such as the
evil eye,
Lilith, and
Bagdana.[7][8] These bowls could be used by any member of the community, and almost every house excavated in the Jewish settlement in
Nippur had such bowls buried in them.[9]
The inscriptions often include scriptural quotes and quotes from
rabbinic texts. The text on incantation bowls is the only written material documenting Jewish language and religion recovered from the period around the writing of the Babylonian
Talmud. Scholars say that the use of rabbinic texts demonstrates that they were considered to have supernatural power comparable to that of biblical quotes. The bowls often refer to themselves as "amulets" and the Talmud discusses the use of amulets and magic to drive away demons.[10]
In Christianity
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2020)
In
Christianity, during the same period and in the same
region where
traditional incantation bowls were prevalent,
Christian incantation bowls emerged. These
artifacts, often inscribed in
Syriac, a dialect of the
Aramaic language, demonstrate a syncretism of Christian and local magical beliefs. The inscriptions on these bowls typically include
prayers,
psalms, or invocations for
protection against
evil forces. Scholars interpret them as a unique manifestation of the blending of Christian and folk religious practices in the ancient Middle East. Further research may delve into specific examples,
deciphering the content of the inscriptions and exploring the cultural significance of these Christian incantation bowls within their historical context.
^C. H. Gordon: “Aramaic Incantation Bowls” in Orientalia, Rome, 1941, Vol. X, p. 120ff (Text 3).
^Orientalia 65 3-4 Pontificio Istituto biblico, Pontificio Istituto biblico. Facoltà di studi dell'antico oriente - 1996 "may have been Jewish, but Aramaic incantation bowls also commonly circulated in pagan communities". ... Lilith was, of course, the frequent subject of concern in incantation bowls and amulets, since her presence was ."
^The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia p217 Geoffrey W. Bromiley 1986 2007 "D. Aramaic Incantation Bowls. One important source of knowledge about Jewish magical practices is the nearly eighty extant incantation bowls made by Jews in Babylonia during the Sassanian period (ad 226-636). ... Though the exact use of the bowls is disputed, their function is clearly
apotrapaic in that they are meant to ward off the evil effects of a number of malevolent supernatural beings and influences, e.g., the evil eye, Lilith, and Bagdana."
^A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature p454 David L. Jeffrey - 1992 "Aramaic incantation bowls of the 6th cent, show her with disheveled hair and tell how"
^Descenders to the chariot: the people behind the Hekhalot literature Page 277 James R. Davila - 2001 "... that they be used by anyone and everyone. The whole community could become the equals of the sages. Perhaps this is why nearly every house excavated in the Jewish settlement in Nippur had one or more incantation bowl buried in it."
Bhayro, Siam, James Nathan Ford, Dan Levene, and Ortal-Paz Saar, Aramaic Magic Bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin. Descriptive List and Edition of Selected Texts [Magical and Religious Literature of Late Antiquity 7], 2018.
Ford, James Nathan and
Matthew Morgenstern, Aramaic Incantation Bowls in Museum Collections. Volume One: The
Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities, Jena [Magical and Religious Literature of Late Antiquity 8], 2019.