CIRCA 3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.

Magic gems were used as protective amulets and harbingers of good fortune. This gem depicts a mummified figure at right, likely the Egyptian god Osiris, with three creatures including a scarab, falcon and uraeus. The inscription forms a magical incantation and is a variant of the more common “IAO Sabaoth." The magical name IAO is a transliteration of the divine name yhwh and Sabaoth means “of hosts.” Both names form a traditional pairing in magical incantations and often occur in a syncretistic context.