Miraculous anti-cancer amulet discovered in Türkiye – History

An indented gemstone found in Antioch, an ancient city of Pisidia in southwestern Turkey, depicting a crab is used as an anti-cancer pendant amulet. Archaeologists estimate that it dates back to the Hellenistic era (323-30 BC).

The amulet depicts a beautifully carved crab in the center of one side and an inscription promoting the healing of illnesses on the other side. The inscription indicates that the amulet was commissioned by a father to heal his sick daughter. It was likely used by generations who retained it because of its value as a gemstone and their belief in its healing properties. It is one of the best-preserved intaglio amulets found in Anatolia, and its images and inscriptions are in excellent, readable condition.

The amulet was found near a sixth-century church near Aedilicus Hill, but the artifact clearly predates the church’s construction. The church was converted into a monastery in the 10th century and the surrounding thick walls were built using Spoglia, a building material recovered from ancient ruins. Inside the city walls, excavations uncovered storage areas for large Pithoi (large amphorae) buried underground, structures for different purposes, and monumental fountains used between the 4th and 6th centuries. The amulet appeared in the city wall area when it was built in the 10th century.

The word cancer is derived from the Greek word “karkinos” which means “crab”. It was first applied to malignant tumors around 400 BC by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who believed that malignant tumors were caused by excess black bile. Why he used the crab metaphor is unclear. Scholars speculate that this is because their hardness is reminiscent of a crab’s shell, or because their pain is so intense that it feels like being pinched by a crab’s claws. The 1st century AD philosopher Celsus Latinized “karkinos” as “cancer”, but the 2nd century Greek physician Galen of Pergamon transformed “karkinos” from a metaphor into a simile in his Methods of Medicine, The surrounding blood vessels are described. Malignant Tumors: “Just as the legs of a crab are spread throughout the body, so too are the veins of this disease; they are spread by abnormal crab-shaped tumors.”