Aramaic Incantation Bowls from Mesopotamia
- Date of account
- Approximately 5th–8th centuries CE
- Location
- Mesopotamia, especially Nippur and the region of modern Iraq
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Aramaic incantation bowls are ceramic vessels inscribed with protective texts and buried beneath buildings, often invoking divine names, angels, biblical figures, or specialist ritual formulas. Jewish, Mandaean, and Christian examples provide a valuable comparative record of household magic, demon protection, illness, and social anxiety in late antique Mesopotamia. Individual bowls can be studied through museum catalogues, excavation records, script analysis, and readings of the inscriptions. Their archaeological context is sometimes uncertain, and translations or attributions may remain disputed.
Investigate related details with Anomaly Graph’s account-based search, or read how matching and provenance work.