Egyptian Defense Magic (18th C BC)
Execration texts were a type of Egyptian hieratic text, believed to possess magical qualities. Egyptian priests or state magicians would write the names of individuals or groups that were considered hostile or dangerous to Egypt on small statues or jars; these were then broken and buried, symbolizing the destruction of the enemy.
Pieces of these magical texts have been found near a number of tombs in Thebes, Saqqara, and the Nubian fortresses. One text near a fortress was written on a skull, which suggests that it may have belonged to an enemy – the capture, decapitation, and composition of the text on his skull was probably an attempt at magically transferring the fate of the one individual onto the entire enemy group.
Although execration texts were popular throughout Egyptian history, they were most frequently used during the New Kingdom. The example shown here is dated to the First Intermediate Period, and is currently on display at the Louvre. The statue’s missing arms were likely a deliberate attempt to magically ensure that the cursed enemy could not cause any harm.
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