A nail with magic signs
Text from museum placard:
A bronze apotropaic nail with an invocation to Iao (Iahveh) Sabaoth, and a series of animals depicted according to an evil eye scene: 1) invaction followed by two magic signs and three stars, 2) the letter theta, a snake with a dragon's head and stars, 3) frog, tortoise, insect, hoopoe, falcon, two vipers faced around an eye, 4) deer, dog, lizard, scorpion, hare, stars.
Origin unknown, already in the Kircherian museum
IV-V century AD
Catalog cites: G. Minervini, Notizia di un chiodo metallico con iscrizione greca. in "Bullettino Archeologico Napoletano". 6. 1848. p.45
Article online at: digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/ban1847_1848/0047
Figure at: digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/ban1847_1848/0109
A nail with magic signs
Text from museum placard:
A bronze apotropaic nail with an invocation to Iao (Iahveh) Sabaoth, and a series of animals depicted according to an evil eye scene: 1) invaction followed by two magic signs and three stars, 2) the letter theta, a snake with a dragon's head and stars, 3) frog, tortoise, insect, hoopoe, falcon, two vipers faced around an eye, 4) deer, dog, lizard, scorpion, hare, stars.
Origin unknown, already in the Kircherian museum
IV-V century AD
Catalog cites: G. Minervini, Notizia di un chiodo metallico con iscrizione greca. in "Bullettino Archeologico Napoletano". 6. 1848. p.45
Article online at: digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/ban1847_1848/0047
Figure at: digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/ban1847_1848/0109