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KYPRIANOS M3724

Sigla: question mark icon Modern names for the manuscript, including inventory and publication numbers.

GMA 2
Caernarfon, Public Library 37.441/4

Category: question mark icon Classification of the contents, e.g. magical (formulary or applied), alchemical, liturgical, documentary or medical.

Applied (magical)
Contents:

1. Ro ll. 1-25: Applied amulet for the protection of Alphianos, incorporation voces magicae, kharaktēres, and some recognisable Hebrew words.
See all texts in this manuscript.

Language(s):

Greek
Hebrew
Script(s):

Greek
Dialect:
Language/dialect notes:
Date: question mark icon Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. 50 – 150
Date notes:

Kotansky (1994: p. 3). Roman Inscriptions of Britain dates to 43-410 CE.
Archive/collection: question mark icon Larger collection to which manuscript belongs.
Archive name:
State of edition:

Published.
Image:

Form:

Sheet
Material:

Metal (gold)
Dimensions (cm): Height: 10.4 Width: 3.05 Depth:
Dimensions (notes):

Kotansky (1994: p. 3). Weight is 3.8g. (Broon 1964: p. 98.)
Folding pattern:
State of preservation:

Complete with some damage.
Pages/Columns: question mark icon Total surviving columns in the manuscript for rolls, sheets and rotuli; total number of pages for codices.

1
Pages/Columns (notes):

1 column recto, 25 lines.
Hand:

Findspot:

Segontium, United Kingdom (Britannia)

(TM places ID: 15374)
Place of purchase: (TM places ID: )
Writingspot:

Segontium, United Kingdom (Britannia) (?)

(TM places ID: 15374)
Present Location:

Caernarfon, Public Library
Collection History:

Found in, or shortly before, 1828 in Segontium outside the southeast angle of Caernarvon fort by digging the foundations for the house called Cefn Hendre, situated atop a Roman cremation cemetery. Purchased 23 August 1937 (collection website 8/11/2022).
Trismegistos collection: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos collections for the institution which currently houses the manuscript. 1806
Collection website: https://museum.wales/collections/online/object/f151efd1-59cb-36b7-825f-e4b81e0f1069/Roman-gold-amulet-electrotype/?field0=string&value0=amulet&field1=material&value1=gold&index=1

Notes/Discussion:

Bibiliography
Editions:

Barnwell, E. L. “The Carnarvon Talisman.” Archaeologia Cambrensis 10 (1879): 99-108.

Collingwood, R. G. and R. P. Wright. The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1965, p. 144, no. 436.

★ Kotansky, Roy. Greek Magical Amulets. The Inscribed Gold, Silver, Copper, and Bronze Lamellae. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1994, p. 3-12, no. 2, pl. 2.

Peers, C. R. “A Gnostic Talisman from Carnarvon.” Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London 31 (1919): 127-131.

“RIB 436. Greek magical amulet”, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, online at https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/436
Translations:
General:

Boon, George C. “The Gold Brooch and Gold Phylactery from Segontium.” Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 21 (1964): 96-99.

Harris, Eve and John R. Harris. The Oriental Cults in Roman Britain. Leiden: Brill, 1965, p. 93.

Haverfield, F. “Military Aspects of Roman Wales.” Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1908-1909): 53-58.

Henig, Martin. Religion in Roman Britain. London: Batsford, 1995, p. 184-188.

Hübner, Emil. Inscriptiones Britanniae Christianae. Berlin: Georgium Reimerum, 1876, p. 80, no. 215.

Jones, Henry L. and John Williams. “Second Annual Meeting, Caernarvon, September 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, A.D. 1848.” Archaeologia Cambrensis 3 (1848): 361-363.

Vermaseren, M. J. “A Magical Time God.” In: Mithraic Studies. Proceedings of the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies, edited by John R. Hinnells. Rowman and Littlefield: Manchester University Press, 1971, p. 447, note 4. (non vidi)

Wheeler, Mortimer. “Segontium and the Roman Occupation of Wales.” Y Cymmrodor 33 (1923): 129-230. (non vidi)

Trismegistos ID:

154929
959781

 PAThs:
PGM: question mark icon Papyri Gracae Magicae SM: question mark icon Supplementum Magicum GEMF: question mark icon Greek and Egyptian Magical Formularies (forthcoming) ACM: question mark icon Ancient Christian Magic
Bélanger Sarrazin: question mark icon Bélanger-Sarrazin. “Catalogue des textes magiques coptes” AKZ: question mark icon Ausgewählte koptische Zaubertexte CBd: question mark icon Campbell-Bonner Magical Gems Database Mert.-Pack: question mark icon Mertens-Pack online database
Van H: question mark icon van Haelst, Catalogue des papyrus littéraires Bruyn-Dijkstra: question mark icon de Bruyn and Dijkstra, “Greek Amulets and Formularies (Checklist)" TheDefix: question mark icon Thesaurus Defixionum To Zodion:
Edit History:

KD (11/8/2021); ST (15/9/2022); ST (19/9/2022); ST (20/9/2022); ST (21/9/2022); ST (22/9/2022); ST (23/9/2022); ST (28/9/2022); ST (29/9/2022); ST (30/9/2022); ST (6/10/2022); KD (8/11/2022)

How to cite:
Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP M3724," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/manuscript/kyp-m3724. Accessed on 05/11/2025

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