Israeli boy finds biblical-era figurine in the Negev heritagefl.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heritagefl.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
An ancient magical amulet that belonged to the Mandaeans (who live in the southern parts of Iraq and Iran) has been deciphered. The lead amulet had writing carved into it in the Mandaic language and once deciphered, it was revealed that it was used to prevent evil spirits “who eat flesh and drink blood”.
Tom McCollough, who is an emeritus professor of religion at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, explained the amulet in a virtual presentation of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the Society for Classical Studies (SCS), stating that it is approximately 8 inches in length by 1.7 inches in width with 62 lines of text. It dates back to 750 AD.
The artefact was reportedly found during a family trip by an 11-year old boy who won the praise of IAA curators of the Iron Age and Persian periods for his exemplary.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
ANSAmed reports that an amulet dated to the fifth or sixth century B.C. has been discovered in southern Israel by a boy out on a family outing. The amulet, thought to have been intended to protect children or increase fertility, depicts a bare-breasted woman wearing a scarf. Oren Shmueli and Debbie Ben Ami of the Israel Antiquities Authority said only one other such amulet has been found, and it was also discovered in the northern Negev Desert. To read about literacy in ancient Israel, go to Reading, Writing, and Algorithms.
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| UPDATED: 07:13, Fri, Mar 12, 2021
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Archaeologists have dated the artefact to the end of the First Temple period, about 2,500 years ago. Only one other figurine of this kind has been found in Israel to date, making its discovery all the more astounding. Zvi Ben-David, 11, from Beer Sheba spotted the ancient object a few weeks ago while on a family trip to the Nahal Besor stream or wadi in southern Israel.