Binding Power of Lead: Magical and Amuletic Uses of Lead in Late Antique and Byzantine Periods

Year 2022, Issue: 2, 199 - 224, 31.12.2022

Deniz Sever Georgousakis

https://doi.org/10.54930/TARE.2022.6537

Abstract

This study poses a specific question for a particular usage of lead in the context of magic: Was lead used in the production of Middle Byzantine amulets called hystera due to the unique apotropaic and magical qualities of the material? In order to understand the background of lead in supernatural contexts, this paper begins with a brief examination of the usage of lead from the Classical period to Late Antiquity. Lead was used across a wide range of areas from construction to medicine, due to its accessibility and malleability. In addition to its natural properties, material evidence including lead curse tablets, effigies, and coffins demonstrate the use of lead in contexts of dark magic and the underworld. Correspondingly, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine written sources refer to the deadly and malevolent nature of lead as a metal. Based on this evidence, I propose that lead was perceived as a material with supernatural power that had the ability to manipulate and bind living beings and evil spirits, contributing to the widespread production of lead hystera amulets in the Middle Byzantine period.

Keywords

Lead, Magic, Amulets, Greek, Roman, Byzantine

Kurşunun Bağlama Gücü: Geç Antik Çağ ve Bizans Dönemlerinde Kurşunun Büyü ve Muskalarda Kullanımı

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, kurşunun büyü bağlamında özel bir kullanımıyla ilgili sorulara yanıt aranmıştır. Orta Bizans döneminde üretilen, hystera adı verilen muskalarda kurşunun, özel kötü güçlerden koruyucu ve doğaüstü özellikleri nedeniyle tercih edilip edilmediği incelenmiştir. Kurşunun doğaüstü bağlamda ele alınabilmesi için Klasik Dönem ile Geç Antik Çağ’da kurşun kullanımından temel hatlarıyla bahsedilmiştir. Kurşun, erişim kolaylığı ve kolay işlenebilmesi nedeniyle inşaattan tıbba kadar çok geniş bir alanda kullanılmıştır. Doğası gereği sahip olduğu özelliklere ek olarak kurşun lanet tabletleri, büyü bebekleri ve lahitler gibi çeşitli buluntular, kurşunun kara büyü ve ölüler diyarı ile ilişkili kullanımını ortaya koymaktadır. Benzer şekilde, Yunan, Roma ve Bizans yazılı kaynaklarında da kurşunun tehlikeli ve zehirli doğasından bahsedilmektedir. Bu makalede, elde edilen buluntular ışığında, kurşunun Orta Bizans Dönemi’nde hystera muskalarının üretiminde, doğaüstü güçlere sahip bir materyal olarak düşünülmesi ve canlılar ile kötü ruhları bir çıkar doğrultusunda kullanma ve bağlama özelliklerinin olması nedeniyle yaygın olarak kullanıldığı ileri sürülmektedir.

Keywords

Kurşun, Büyü, Muska, Yunan, Roma, Bizans

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