Cf. A Caquot, Un Phylactère Mandéen en Plomb, Semitica, XXII, Paris, 1972, pp. 67-87, pls. I-IV for a discussion on a similar group of tablets. Tablets like those above were mainly produced from the 6th Century B.C. to the late Roman Imperial period. The lead tablets were inscribed with magical spells to repudiate malevolent forces; they were then folded and deposited in places or sanctuaries associated with spirits.