1,600-year-old amulet found depicting King Solomon stabbing the devil to death

Archaeologists in Türkiye have discovered a rare fifth-century Christian pendant depicting King Solomon riding a horse and killing the devil. It is the only such pendant to be discovered in Anatolia, a region that covers much of modern-day Türkiye.

Both sides of the bronze pendant are engraved with ancient Greek text. The inscription on the King Solomon side translates as "Our God has defeated evil ," while the other side bears the names of four angels: Azrael, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil.

The fifth-century amulet "is a symbol of religion and power." (Photo: Karabük University)

'It is a symbol of religion and power,' said Ersin Çelikbaş, an archaeologist at Karabük University in Turkey who oversaw the excavation. The pendant was used as an amulet , a type of talisman believed to protect against evil or danger.

According to the Hebrew Bible, King Solomon ruled ancient Israel in the 10th century BC, but there is little archaeological evidence to confirm the biblical account.

"Solomon is an important figure in all three holy religions. Although he is mentioned as a ruler in the Torah and the Bible, he is also recognized as a prophet in Islam. The image of Solomon on this pendant reveals the importance of the artifact to Anatolian archaeology," said Çelikbaş .

Archaeologists discovered the pendant during excavations at Hadrianopolis . This ancient settlement in Paphlagonia, a region in north-central Turkey on the Black Sea coast, became a city during the Roman period. It was called Hadrianopolis after the Roman emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138 AD, and was rebuilt during the early Byzantine period. Today, it is located in the vicinity of the city of Karabük.

"In previous excavations, we identified the existence of a cavalry unit here. The prophet Solomon was also known to be the commander of the army. We understand that he was also considered a protective figure for the Roman and Byzantine cavalry in Hadrianopolis," Çelikbaş added .

Based on the archaeological layer where they found the pendant, archaeologists dated the artifact to the fifth century, when Hadrianopolis was part of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Constantine, who ruled a few centuries after Hadrian, later split the Roman Empire in two, leading to the creation of the Byzantine Empire in 330 AD.