Iranian Incantation Bowl

By Crusader1307

While the use of containers for various religious Rites are well known, in Ancient Iran and Iraq, the use of ''Incantation Bowls'' were wide spread. Particularly popular by Priests of Syria and Mesopotamia their usage goes back 2,500 years. Inscriptions have been found in Babylonian and even forms of Judaic. They were made of fired ceramic (unfinished), which was sanded smooth. The inside of the bowl featured a series of incantations designed to trap Demons within. This was down by placing the bowl upside down in a pre-dug hole and buried. The incantation ''attracted'' a Demon who would be trapped inside the bowl. The Incantation Bowl was buried either near the entrance to a home or in the corners of a burial ground or cemetery. This kept Demons from affecting The Dead.