Bronze pendant: Holy Rider, Greek text (A) animals attacking the evil eye, Greek text (B)
Bronze, leaf-shaped amulet with a dedicated suspension loop at the top, inscribed on both sides. Worn surface, intact.
Side A: An engraving of the Holy Rider, nimbate, spearing a female demon trampled under the hooves of his horse. The demon’s hands are bound; three dots on her body likely represent the nipples and navel. To the right of the rider’s head, an indistinct dash – probably to be understood as a crescent. Below the demon, a roaring lion. In the upper register, semicircular Greek text: εισθεοσονικωντακακα → εἷς θεὸς ὁ νικῶν τὰ κακά. ‘One God conquering evil’.
Side B: Greek text: ιαωσα|βαωθμιχ|αηλβοηθι → Ἰάω, Σαβαώθ, Μιχαήλ, βοήθι. ‘Iao, Sabaoth, Michael, help!’. Below, an image of a ‘much-suffering eye’, attacked from above by a trident (center) and a pair of daggers (one on each side); from below, left to right by a lion, a bird (likely ibis), a snake, a scorpion, and another feline – possibly a cheetah or a spotted hyena (cf. the two dotted lines, likely representing spots).
J. Franek
w/ Phoinix-team, 2025
Selected bibliography
• Franek 2025 >>, no. 158.
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