![]() Part of the inscription reads: “Designated is this spell…for the sealing of the household of this Ardôi bar Hormizdûch, that from him may depart and remove the evil Demon and the evil Satan.” Diam. A similar bowl (B2963A) contains a charm against a murderous spirit. Both goddesses had violent or savage forms: Sekhmet, who protected against disease, was part lion Taweret, who watched over mothers and children, was part hippopotamus.Īramaic incantation bowl from Nippur dating to before the 7th century CE. In Egyptian culture, images of the goddesses Sekhmet and Taweret played apotropaic roles. The head of the Gorgon Medusa also adorned the shield of the Greek warrior goddess Athena. In ancient Greece and Rome, a Gorgon’s head, placed on armor and above entryways, provided the user with luck and protection. These images would then provide protection against natural and supernatural threats.Īpotropaic demons included the Near Eastern Pazuzu and Humbaba, who fought off other malevolent forces such as Lamashtu, a demon harmful to pregnant women and children. Additionally, the powers of demons, monsters, and gods, who were harmful by nature, could be harnessed through their depictions on amulets, armor, and buildings. Male sexual imagery symbolized power and violent force, whereas female sexual imagery symbolized reproduction and fertility, in accordance with ancient gender roles. ![]() A gorgon’s head was an apotropaic symbol thought to ward off other evils by terrifying them. This votive was found at a Sanctuary of Apollo on Cyprus (late 4th century BCE). ![]() For example, thousands of phallic-shaped amulets, which warded off evil and misfortune for the wearer, survive from antiquity. Apotropaic magic was predicated upon a belief that certain depictions, texts, or practices shielded the user from harm. The former includes apotropaic, or protective, magic. Museum Object Number(s): 65-34-1 ProtectionĪncient practitioners employed both helpful, defensive magic and harmful, offensive magic, which might be thought of in modern terms as “white” or “black” magic. He appears surrounded by knives and scorpions, possibly as protection for a tomb or temple. Known as “the one who keeps enemies at a distance,” Tutu was a sphinx-like protective god with a human head, lion body, bird wings, and a snake for a tail. Thus, from birth until death, magic touched all stages of human life. It even lay at the root of many funerary practices. It was a source of protection a means for healing a method for ensuring success in business, love, and reproduction and a platform for predicting the uncertain future. Magic, often overlapping with what today might be considered science or religion, was a resource for mediating one’s interaction with society and the world. Surviving literature and archaeological remains from ancient societies surrounding the Mediterranean, including those of Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome, reveal the extent to which magic pervaded most aspects of life in antiquity. Yet in the ancient world, magic was not only a perceived reality, but was also accessible to many people. To the modern mind, the word “magic” likely conjures up images of Hogwarts and other fantastical and exclusive realms. Both demons were among a number of apotropaic images that warded off evil. The striations around the face of this demon are either the entrails of an enemy, worn by Humbaba, or the whiskers of Pazuzu’s lion-like face. Professors Robert Ousterhout and Grant Frame, curators of Magic in the Ancient World Protective figurine of Humbaba or Pazuzu. This exhibition features objects from the Museum’s rich collections of the Near East, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Mediterranean sections. The exhibition Magic in the Ancient World, now at the Penn Museum, illuminates how different cultures used magic as a way of managing or understanding the present, controlling supernatural agencies, and seeing the future. Using magical acts, they attempted to control supernatural powers- gods, demons, spirits, or ghosts-to accomplish something beyond the scope of human capabilities. In ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, practitioners of magic exploited symbolic words, images, and rituals to achieve desired outcomes through supernatural means.
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