The Phylactery against Hail of Aïn-Fourna (AE 1939, 136). An Exceptional Testimony of Prophylactic Magic
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to contextualize historically a late amulet against hail found at Fvrnos maivs (Aïn-Fourna, Tunisia). After presenting a new edition of the text, we will proceed to the analysis of the piece according to its distinctive features and other preserved parallels, with emphasis on the historiola involving the omvncio and the snake. The analysis of this narrative will reveal that, despite its apparent Christian characteristics (which do not exclude the presence of any pagan element of Roman origin in the text), the inscription is, in fact, an enchantment rooted in a previous substrate of autochthonous beliefs related to North African ophiolatry.
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