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KYPRIANOS A81

Archive name: Mahperoz Incantation Bowl Dossier
Trismegistos Archive ID: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos Collections for the archive.
Date: question mark icon Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. 501 – 800
Provenance: Iraq (Mesopotamia)
Trismegistos Place ID: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos Places for the place of provenance. 1
Manuscripts: KYP M3745 3747 3748 3749 3750 3752 3755
See all manuscripts in this archive.
Classification:

These manuscripts may comprise an “archive”, meaning that they were brought together and deposited by an ancient person or persons.

Description:

Seven incantation bowls for the protection of a man named Mahperoz son of Hindu; one, CAMIB 9A (KYP M3749) is also for the protection of his wife, Panoi, daughter of KWZYTRY.

Acquisition:

All seven bowls were purchased from Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson by the British Museum in 1851. According to the minutes of the trustees they were found in a “tomb in Babylon” (Hunter 2002: p. 259), although this would be unusual for incantation bowls, and Layard (1853: p. 509) states that their exact provenance is unknown.

Dating:

The British Museum collection website lists all the bowls as having been written between the sixth and eighth century.

Language/dialect:

All seven bowls are written in Jewish Aramaic.

Materiality/composition:

All seven bowls are similar, seemingly having come from the same workshop, and perhaps the same batch of pottery (Hunter 2002: p. 259). They are all 18-19.9 cm in diameter, and 4-6.6 cm high.

Content:

All seven bowls contain formulae for the protection of Mahperoz son of Hindu; CAMIB 9A (KYP M3749) is also for the protection of his wife, Panoi, daughter of KWZYTRY. Four of the bowls (KYP M3745, M3747, M3748, M3749) contain variants of a text designated by Judah Segal as “Refrain A” (Hunter 2002: p. 259).

Discussion:
Bibliography:

Hunter, Erica C.D. “Manipulating Incantation Texts: Excursions in Refrain A”, Iraq 64 (2002): p. 259-273.

Layard, Austin H. Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, John Murray, London, 1853, p. 509-519.

Müller-Kessler, Christa. “Die Zauberschalensammlung des British Museum”, Archiv für Orientforschung 48/49 (2001/2002): p. 120.

Segal, Judah B. Catalogue of the Aramaic and Mandaic Incantation Bowls in the British Museum (CAMIB). BMP, London, 2000, nos. 6A-12A.


Edit History:

KD (16/11/2021); KD with suggestions of Ortal-Paz Saar (8/12/2021)

How to cite:
Korshi Dosoo, Edward O.D. Love & Markéta Preininger (chief editors). "KYP A81: Mahperoz Incantation Bowl Dossier," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/archive/kyp-a81. Accessed on 29/03/2024

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