The spell on the 1,300-year-old roll of paper in Jordan

Using computerized tomography and image processing software, Danish and German scientists discovered mantras on small rolls of foil, written 1,300 years ago in Jordan.

According to research published in the September 22 issue of Nature, the mantra is more likely to be written by a magician, but it is written in a strange language.

Digital image of 1,300-year-old roll of foil in Jordan.(Photo: Nature).

The team calls this the fake Arabic language . They said that letters of Greek origin and magic symbols were also present on the scroll. According to them, Muslims and Christians all speak Arabic in Jordan in the 8th century.

According to Ancient Origins, the lamination of gold, silver, lead or alloy slabs and the above incantations is very popular in the ancient world. The mages also wrote mantras on papyrus, a type of paper that could be spread out to read. However, metal rolls are difficult to remove without damage. Text engraved on metal is not for reading. After being rolled up, they are placed in amulets on the body or around the house as a limited item, to ward off evil or bad luck.

In 2014, archaeologists found amulets containing scrolls while unearthing a house destroyed by an earthquake, dating back to 749 BC. They found coins, ceramics, glass bottles, jewelry and foil rolls of 0.15mm thick, 42mm long and 8mm diameter. They carefully removed the roll of paper from the outer lead box after conducting cleaning and restoration.