Ritual Bronze Nail Inscribed With Magic Signs

Nail-from-Pergamon-Misc.-8612,-7

Description

The bronze nail is inscribed with ten magic signs on each of the four sides. It is the most elaborately crafted and best preserved inscribed bronze nail from the archaeological record of ancient magic and ritual practice.


Data

Location: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Antikensammlung
Inventory number: Misc. 8612, 7
Material: Bronze
Dating: 3rd century
Provenance: Pergamon
Dimensions: 16,5 cm

Link: https://id.smb.museum/object/695501
Licensed under the CC license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

 

Literature

Richard Wünsch, Antikes Zaubergerät aus Pergamon (1905). Online available for free at archive.org

G. Bevilacqua, Chiodi magici, in: Archaeologica Classica, 52 (2001), 129–150.


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