Amulet from Oxyrhynchus

4th–7th Century

Against you, the spirit which is called fever (and) shivering: Be exorcised from the body of Marian the daughter of Esther, from the two hundred and forty-eight limbs which are in her. I adjure you, be exorcised from her, in the name of He who lives and exists, of He who suspended the sky without chains, and set up the earth without pillars, and…

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Though found at Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, most likely in a cemetery, this amulet is thought to originate from Palestine (or perhaps Syria or Asia Minor), where amulets were commonly written on metal sheets. This amulet is inscribed on a sheet of lead.

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Ancient Amulets Found in the Diaspora

3rd–7th Centuries
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Ancient Jewish Magical Texts and Artifacts

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE

Magical practices played a greater role in ancient Judaism than is sometimes realized.

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Jewish Daily Life in Roman-Era Palestine

1st Century BCE–6th Century CE

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