{"id":1227,"date":"2018-03-16T01:25:28","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T01:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/16\/the-fountain-of-anna-perenna\/"},"modified":"2018-03-16T01:25:28","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T01:25:28","slug":"the-fountain-of-anna-perenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/16\/the-fountain-of-anna-perenna\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fountain of Anna Perenna"},"content":{"rendered":"

lahistorienne<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
<\/figure>\n

Saw this exhibit at the Museo Nazionale Romano during my recent trip to Rome! Anaa Perenna is the Roman goddess of the circular year, and she had a cult following well into the early Christianization of Imperial Rome.<\/p>\n

This exhibit features ancient \u201cmagical finds\u201d found in the cistern of an old fountain. These items include a large copper pot used for witches\u2019 magical potions, and several new large lamps made of purified clay probably for spells, as described in the Hellenistic-period manual of magic, the \u201cGreek Magical Papyri.\u201d Six of the lamps have curses (defixiones) inscribed inside of them. In total, 23 defixiones have been found inside the cistern, a significant discovery in a single context. Rare still are the 24 lead containers stacked one inside the other, within them seven figurines made of some organic material. These must have been used to make spells and perform magical rituals against enemies or lovers. The amount of magical material concentrated in such a small place suggests that the fountain was a place well-known for finding magical practitioners. Among the many eastern deities invoked in the curses is Christ, who was considered a great healer and magician.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Magic nail – On this bronze nail there is an invocation in Greek to \u201cIao Sabaoth\u201d and a series of symbols and animals depicted in a pattern that is intended to work against the evil eye; stars, snake, toad, tortoise, insect, hoopoe, falcon, deer, dog, lizard, scorpion, hare (4th-5th century C.E.)<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The
\n caccabus – This cylindrical receptacle, made of copper sheet with an
\niron handle, shows signs of burning. The shape of the cauldron suggests
\nkitchen use, but it could also have been used for the preparation of
\ninfusions, teas, and magic potions, which are widely discussed by the
\nancient sources in relation to the activities of witches.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Mano
\n pantea (\u2018Hand of the All-Goddess\u2019) – This bronze votive hand embodies
\nthe virtues of all the gods and is connected to the cult of Sabazius, an
\n Eastern deity with a benevolent role. It represents a gesture of divine
\n benediction and is covered with animals and symbols; snake, tortoise,
\nlizard, toad, vase, and pine branch (2nd-3rd century C.E.)<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The
\n amphora – This dates to the mid-5th century C.E. and contained wine. In
\n the inscription painted in red, the writer declares that he wants to
\ncut the amphora\u2019s throat, wishing a bad festival of Anna Perenna to
\nthose who do not drink free from care. The inscription shows that the
\nIdes of March festival continued into the Christian period.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Curses,
\n from the container with figurine of Petronius Cornigus – Two tablets
\nwere inserted between the cylindrical boxes of the container. On one of
\nthem a man is depicted bound with rope between two snakes. Beneath this
\nis the lower part of a second body. The inscription gives the object of
\nthe curse as \u2018he whom I love with all my thoughts\u2019 (quem pereo
\nfantasia). Evidently this is a love curse, designed to bind the beloved
\nto oneself forever. The other tablet is covered with magical symbols,
\namong them a biblical tetragram and a sequence of four Hebrew letters
\nforming the name of God (4th century C.E.)<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Amulets
\n – The small faience, bone, bronze, and amber objects were worn for
\nprotection and good fortune. Their shapes and materials relate to the
\nsphere of sexuality and fertility. The phallus, also known as a
\n\u201cfascinum\u201d or magic spell, was called the \u201cmedicus invidiae\u201d by Pliny. A
\n hand and a phallus are represented in stylized form at the two ends of
\nthe bone amulet. The \u201cmanus obscaena,\u201d a fist with straight thumb
\nbetween the fingers, refers to the sexual act. (1st-2nd century C.E.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

lahistorienne: Saw this exhibit at the Museo Nazionale Romano during my recent trip to Rome! Anaa Perenna is the Roman goddess of the circular year, and she had a cult following well into the early Christianization of Imperial Rome. This exhibit features ancient \u201cmagical finds\u201d found in the cistern of an old fountain. These items … Continue reading “The Fountain of Anna Perenna”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}