The term "Babylonian demon bowl" is used to
describe earthenware vessels found exclusively
in various sites of Iran and Iraq, created as forms
of both protective and aggressive magic. They
are identified by writing on the interior, and
occasionally on the outside, in either Jewish-
Aramaic, Syriac, Mandaic or Persian (Pehlevi).
Placed in the corners of rooms where demons
were believed to sneak in through cracks in the
floor and walls, the bowl was buried facedown to
lure malevolent spirits inside in order to trap
them. The script was presumably an enticement,
attracting demons so they would not do harm to
persons or property. The open area in the center,
combined with the sinuous, flowing script along
the flared sides, does give the impression of a
swirling vortex. Elegant in its simplicity, powerful
in its incantation, this extraordinary bowl is a
tangible link to magical practices of the Near
East in Late Antiquity.
- (SP.438)
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