The magic rituals were carried out around 400 years ago during the Early Ottoman period. They were believed to help ward off malevolent curses, like the evil eye, and to have healing powers.

Some ancient examples, such as the approximately 5,000-year-old mace-head of King Narmer, were not intended to be used in battle, but were explicitly designed to serve as ceremonial or votive objects.

Anti-magic legislation existed in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, even before the days of Christianity, but often such laws only covered magic that actually killed, as when a stepmother was ...

A 3,000-year-old clay figurine depicting an ancient goddess was recently fished from the depths of Lake Bolsena in central ... pointing to a long-standing tradition of creating votive figures.

Anti-magic legislation existed in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, even before the days of Christianity, but often such laws only covered magic that actually killed, as when a stepmother was ...

This figurine, made of clay and crudely formed, dates back to the early Iron Age (9th or 10th century B.C.E.). Researchers believe that it was a votive figure meant for use in domestic rituals ...

From the Seabed, Figures of an Ancient Cult A trove of Phoenician artifacts was long ascribed to a single shipwreck. More likely they were tossed overboard, and over centuries, a new study suggests.

ATHENS, Greece — During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, no one was safe from spells, not even exalted politicians and orators. Magicians worked in secret and buried hexes with the dead, who ...