A Magic Spell or a Ceramic Bowl?

One of the strangest aspects of research is exploring magical rituals associated with ancient traditions. Archaeologists continually discover objects designed to invoke victory, including successful animal and business hunting; the control of people; protection; ensuring a happy marriage to a new partner and, unsurprisingly, revenge.

The history of man’s belief in a magical and/or a higher power is as old as the human race itself with spells, curses and incantations featuring widely across all cultures. It was several thousand years ago that cave paintings were used for their ‘magical’ qualities, bringing forth animals for hunting. Evidence associated with found objects prove ‘magic’ pendants, rings and utensils were used by all strata of society – from kings and queens to commoners and that the signs and symbols on the designs were created by ‘magicians’. In other words, the designers of these ancient objects also held the power to perform magic. The symbolism also implied that the wearer or user of the object protected the carrier of the spell.

Our research centered specifically on the Sassanid design and our study demonstrates that its use on Chinese and Islamic works shows that the designs of magical objects and symbols travelled widely. We chose to trace the connection of the Sassanid sign of the crescent on a Changsha and Islamic bowl to determine its influence on the occult sciences. To do this we began with the substantial data held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to determine and substantiate the intercultural relationship of the