C. Bonner, Amulets Chiefly in the British Museum, Hesperia 20, 1951, 301-345, no. 63.

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, IX 1230.

Obv. Above, ouroboros enclosing seven characters of which five are Greek letters, ζ, ε, (in two forms, square and roundbacked), π, υ; also a sign that can be taken as lambda lying on its side, and another that is a common magical character. At each side of the ouroboros are two eight‑spoked characters of the ring‑sign class, but with short cross strokes instead of circlets at the ends of the spokes. Below, an inscription in eleven lines. In reproducing it I have indicated the lines only by rules, in order to show by spaces the magical words of which, with the exception of the last two, it is entirely composed.

αγω σασαω αδωνε| σεμεσειλαμ αβρασ| σξ ζυρρατη ακραμμα|κραμμακαμαρι σεσε|γγενβαλφαρανγη σ|εμεσειλαμ ωβλημ|λενιαμβων αρουαντα Μιχαηλ α|μοραραχθι | φυλαξετε Μαι|ανω

In line 1 ΑΓω may be a mistake in copying for ΑΙω, and that, in turn, a disguised writing of ΙΑω, since the next two words were obviously meant to be σαβαω (often written in magical inscriptions for σαβαωθ) αδωναι. Lines 2‑3: the word should be αβρασαξ. ζυρρατη has not been noted elsewhere. Lines 3‑4: the second κραμμαwas repeated by an oversight; the letter immediately after it is usually chi, not kappa. Line 5: the word is usually σεσεγγενβαρφαραγγης. Lines 6‑7: perhaps a garbled copy of ωρθμενχινιαμβων, a word found on several amulets that represent a scorpion; cf. SMA, p. 77. Line 9: the second ραis a dittography. Line 10: error for φυλάξατε.

Rev. Inscription in three columns of thirteen, fourteen and fifteen lines, of which the first is οπιεσωτουαρ, the second Ιαω ρεωη αφον. The parts of the second line are spaced about as indicated, and from the third line on there are three distinct columns, chiefly permutations of the vowels by threes, but a few consonants are introduced; it is not worth reproducing in type, since there is no recognizable word except Ιαω, and the plate gives an adequate idea of its appearance. The engraver has given the letters distinct serifs, or finishing strokes, and these are especially noticeable at the tops of the triangular letters, though never so exaggerated as they appear on Chiflet's engraving and the forgeries based on it.

Chalcedony. Lentoid with sharp edges, convex on both sides, 22 x 19 x 6.4. The illustrations are from photographs of the original enlarged 3 x 1, which I owe to the courtesy of Prof. Fritz Eichler. I have kept them at this size instead of reducing them to the size of the original in order to show the peculiarities of the inscription more distinctly.