Ca. 600-800 AD. A pottery bowl characterized by a shallow form with a rounded base and a wide basin adorned with intricately painted black lines of incantations against evil spirits. Incantation bowls such as this one are believed to have been used as a means of warding off evil spirits and demons in the ancient Near East. Produced between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, these bowls were used in Jewish, Christian, and Mandean communities, and have been found in large numbers throughout Mesopotamia. Scholars believe that these bowls were buried upside down, often beneath a threshold, as a means of trapping evil spirits within the vessel. Cf. The British Museum, Museum number 1957,0925.1.Size: L:75mm / W:150mm ; 295gProvenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in France; previously in 1970s European collection.