Ancient found amulet of Solomon spearing the devil

During an excavation in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Turkey’s northern Black Sea region, an amulet was found depicting the prophesied King Solomon on horseback, stabbing the devil with a spear. According to the stratigraphy of the archaeological background, the amulet dates back to the 5th century.

[Karabuk University Faculty of Letters, Department of Archaeology Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin ] Çelikbaş noted the inscription on the pendant which reads “Our Lord has defeated evil” and said: “Why is this pendant, this amulet found here? In fact, it is related to the military character of Hadrianopolis We have previously found evidence of cavalry units here through archaeological finds. We learned that Solomon was also considered a patron of the Roman and Byzantine cavalry at Hadrianopolis.”

Çelikbaş said: “The obverse depicts the prophet Solomon and mentions God’s victory over evil, while the reverse bears the names of our four holy angels: Azrael, Gabriel, Michael and Israfil. This It is also very meaningful. To date, Anatolian archeology has not discovered similar artifacts.

The biblical depiction of King Solomon (son of King David) as a man on horseback slaying demons with a spear was a popular motif for Eastern Mediterranean amulets in late antiquity (4th-7th centuries). Solomon had power over demons and the diseases they caused, so wearing his demon-slaying amulet would provide the king with protection. have

The historian Flavius ​​Josephus in his jewish antiquities Praising Solomon for virtues that are still closely associated with him today—his wisdom, his prolific output of song and poetry, his philosophical leanings—but then he concludes:

God also taught him the ability to exorcise demons, which is a science that is useful and beneficial to people’s health. He also composed such spells by which diseases could be alleviated. He also left behind methods for exorcising demons so they would never come back.

Solomon as a demon-slayer originates from the Judeo-Greek tradition, which was transmitted through Christian texts of late antiquity. A non-canonical text, Will of Solomon Parts of the poem, written four centuries earlier, describe Solomon commanding demons through a magic ring given to him by the archangel Michael. He ordered them to build a temple in Jerusalem, had them tell him spells that would drive them away and cure the diseases they caused, and captured the wind demon in a wineskin.

The model for the portrait of Solomon riding a horse to slay the demon is the Greek hero Bellerophon riding Pegasus to slay the Chimera. Much later in the Middle Ages, St. George would assume the same pose to slay his dragon.