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Ancient Egyptian 'Magic Spell' Deciphered
By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | September 24, 2018 02:45pm ET
An ancient Egyptian papyrus with an image showing two bird-like creatures, possibly with a penis connecting them, has been deciphered, revealing a magic spell of love.
"The most striking feature of [the papyrus] is its image," wrote Korshi Dosoo, a lecturer at the University of Strasbourg in France, who published the papyrus recently in the Journal of Coptic Studies.
Dosoo estimates that it dates back around 1,300 years, to a time when Christianity was widely practiced in Egypt. [Cracking Codices: 10 of the Most Mysterious Ancient Manuscripts]
In the image, the winged creature on the left seems to be poking its beak into the open beak of its counterpart on the right — which also seems to have a nail through its head. A person's outstretched arms surround the creatures.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/63659-ancient-egyptian-magic-spell-deciphered.html?utm_source=notification