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Thoth - JHU Archaeological Museum

Ancient Magic Amulets?

Today's Ancient Artifacts video investigates ancient Mesopotamian amulets depicting rather monstrous beings. These objects are quite small, ranging from 1.5 to 5 cm (for reference, a US dime is about 1.8 cm across), and the four examples shown here were found at Ur mostly in the 1930-1932 seasons.

Two of the examples are around 3800 years old, the other two are around 2600 years old. I'm not excavating right now (though I should be in the field soon), so I'm talking about artifacts that were excavated a long time ago by using photos of the objects from their museums.

The main question for my video today is: Why did the ancient Mesopotamians depict a relatively hideous and legendarily evil creature on these amulets? Every object has a story.

The older the object, the harder it can be to understand that story. In every case, however, it is more than an object. It represents the effort of the people who made it, the use or uses it was put to, the beliefs of the people who used it, and the effects of the environment on it after it was abandoned. So it really has multiple stories.

Trying to understand these stories is the goal of archaeologists. Passing that understanding on to interested people, more than just debate with other archaeologists, should also be a goal. That's what I'm trying to do with these short videos on ancient artifacts.

Alexander Ancient Art - An Egyptian Faience Two-Sided and Bichrome Openwork Amulet of Bes

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Replies to This Discussion

I Love the way he explains why we tend to call an object an Amulet and how he relates Humbaba with the tiny representation. 

Thank you Vlada. 

:o)

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Multi Dimensional Reality

The world as you know it - all that you see, taste, feel and touch, comprises only about 5% of all of the stuff of the universe. The other 95% is what we have considered "nothing" or the "firmament"  or dark matter or the heavens or mystic Other Worlds. This 95% is multi-dimensional and consists of potential realities that may be perceived.

A single thought...a mere whisper, ...... barely upon a breeze that catches a spark... all is tinder before the firestorm... and yet.
ONLY that whisper
ONLY that thought
 the world is forever changed beyond the fears and dreams of cardboard men.
Freedom and change starts within:
It is encouraged by truth and courage of people who love
Built by the respect of true beings standing as one before each other.
Lets us cross every man made borders
without fear stare into eyes and hearts of all our brothers and sisters: within our words without shouting,or force to hold each to our truths; and let us without fear freely share what works...

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