Israeli Diver Discovers Ancient Amulet at Yavne by Hana Levi Julian

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

by Hana Levi Julian

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A lifeguard diving at the Yavne-Yam antiquities site next to Palmachim beach, south of Tel-Aviv, unearthed a rare marble discus that was used 2,500 years ago to protect sea-going vessels from the evil eye.

To date, only four such items have been found in the world – two of them here in Israel, one recovered from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast
at Carmel in addition to the one at Yavne-Yam.

The ancient white marble discus, which dates back to 400-500 BCE, was discovered by David Shalom, who handed it over to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Dror Planer, of the Marine Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, holding the discus that was found.
Israel News Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

The white discus, which is flat on one side and convex on the other, measures 20 centimeters in diameter. In the middle of the discus are a
perforation and the remains of two circles that are painted around the
center of it. This object has been identified as representing the pupil
of an eye that adorned the bow of an ancient warship or cargo  ship. Its
Greek name is ophtalmoi and a lead coupling or bronze nail that was
driven through the hole in the center of the discus was used to attach
the object to the hull of the ship.

Marble discus known as ophtalamoi found at Yavne-Yam
Israel News Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

According to Kobi Sharvit, the director of the Marine Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “We know from drawings on pottery vessels, pithoi
and ancient coins, as well as from historic sources of the fifth
century BCE that this model was very common on the bows of ships and was
used to protect them from the evil eye and envy, and was meant as a
navigation aid and to act as a pair of eyes which looked ahead and
warned of danger. This decoration is also prevalent today on modern
boats in Portugal, Malta, Greece and in the Far East."

During the course of archaeological surveys that have been performed there by the Marine Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority since the 1980’s,
artifacts were found that originated in shipwrecks, including anchors of
various sizes and weights with one to three holes in them, fishing
equipment, lead connectors and stone plumbs that belong to stone
anchors.

Other objects that were found which were used on board boats include an oven for cooking that is made of lead, grindstones, stone bowls, fishing gear (bronze hooks, lead weights for fishing nets
and lead plumbs for measuring the depth of the seabed), as well as
storage jars, amphorae, bowls and cooking pots that date to the Late
Bronze Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. All of
these bear witness to the extensive commercial activity that transpired
there.

Most of the pottery vessels are of types that were manufactured in the Land of Israel or in the Eastern Mediterranean;
however, some were imported from more distant lands along the
Mediterranean Sea.
A concentration of artifacts was discovered at the site which date to the Bronze Age and include dozens of gold objects (earrings, beads,
pieces of jewelry and waste from the jewelry industry) and a hematite
seal of Syrian provenance. The concentration was located scattered in an
area where twenty hematite seals, bronze arrowheads, axes and two small
statues of the god Ba’al were found in the past. The archaeological
finds indicate that the anchorage was used continuously from the Late
Bronze Age until the Middle Ages.


(IsraelNationalNews.com)