Incantation bowls

. . . . . . . . .

Superstition has plagued human beings since the dawn of time.

Produced in the Middle East in Upper Mesopotamia and Syria during late antiquity between the fourth and eighth centuries, “magic” or “demon” incantation bowls were not used for eating or drinking from, but were buried upside down in a house (often under the entrance) to protect the dwelling and its occupants by warding off evil spirits, dangers and diseases. These vessels have a rounded bottom and contain complicated spell formulas, inscribed in a spiral text usually from the rim towards the centre of the bowl in order to entice and capture demons, but also vice versa as in this example. They were commonly written in Judaeo-Aramaic or “square” script (see above) and are often very difficult to translate, but were also occasionally written by illiterate scribes using a pseudo or “fake” script (see below) and sold to unsuspecting customers.

Evidently, superstition has always been a valuable commodity.

Collection of the Hetjens Museum in Düsseldorf.

. . . . . . . . .

Hetjens-Deutsches Keramikmuseum (German Ceramics Museum)
Schulstraße 4
40213 Düsseldorf