Magical tablet of Set

• Archaeological and functional context

Recovered by the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission. Area/sector: recorded as Sector 28, linked in the excavation report to a “funerary house of the monk Febamon” (known from a Greek inscription and a painted depiction of the monk). The object was found in a superficial level (a refuse mound with ceramics, sand and earth; papyrus fragments were also recovered), not in direct association with a built structure, which prevents secure stratigraphic dating. Function: interpreted as a magical tablet/amuletic object, consistent with Late Antique magical practices and with parallels in magical papyri, where diagrams (squares, diagonals) and short power-formulae accompany divine figures.

• Material description, condition, and visible composition

Inventory / unit: Antiquity 058; U.E. 2196. Proposed date: broadly 3rd–6th centuries CE (supported mainly by cultural/epigraphic considerations rather than sealed context). Size and material: approx. 20 × 17 cm, limestone, with rough/unsophisticated engraving. State of preservation: broken across the middle but complete; the break runs through the figure between neck and body on one face, but the fragments fit and no loss is implied. Layout: two faces—Face A bears the engraved image of Set; Face B shows a square frame with two diagonals crossing at the center, with an inscription placed within the resulting triangular fields.

• The inscription: reading, language, and chronological significance

Language/support: Greek inscription on Face B. Proposed reading (uncertain due to crude execution): the main suggestion is an abbreviation related to ἀνίκητος/ἀνίκητον (“invincible”), with alternative reconstructions: (A) ANIKH(TO?) = ἀνίκητος; (B option 1) A(NIKHTO?) (?) [!H]0 = ἀνίκητος plus a very uncertain possible mention of Set; (B option 2) repetition of ANIKH(TO?) (?). Meaning: “Invincible” functions as a power epithet typical of protective magic, reinforcing the efficacy of the invoked divine force. The possible reading of Set’s name in the epigraphic field is presented as highly tentative; the identification with Set rests primarily on the iconography on Face A. Chronological value: the Greek script and the magical format support a broad Late Antique horizon (ca. 3rd–6th c. CE), but without stratigraphic security.

• Iconographic reading

Main figure: an identifiable depiction of the god Set (Face A), shown in profile facing left, with canonical traits: pointed snout, long upright ears, elongated neck, and an eye indicated by a dot. Body and stance: the body is highly schematized (almost rectangular); two feet are also schematized and oriented left. The break crosses the neck–body zone but does not prevent recognition. Possible attributes: vertical lines on both sides may represent a bow (left) and a large arrow with the point downward (right). If correct, this emphasizes Set in a martial/protective role, consistent with parallels where Set bears bow and arrow. Magical diagram: the square with diagonals on Face B is compared to graphic arrangements known from magical materials (including papyri), used to structure short formulae and “words of power.”

• Interpretive synthesis

This is best understood as a limestone magical tablet/amulet, deliberately simple but forceful in execution (deep, rough incisions), recovered from a surface refuse context in Sector 28 at Oxyrhynchus rather than from a sealed archaeological deposit. Its program combines (1) a figure of Set (Face A), possibly equipped with bow/arrow and therefore framed as a war-like protective power, and (2) a Greek inscription (Face B) most plausibly reading “invincible” (ἀνίκητος), an epithet that ritually reinforces the deity’s irresistible efficacy. The paper underlines its importance because, at the time of publication, it would represent the only explicit archaeological testimony for Set from Oxyrhynchus itself, giving it added value for reconstructing local religious/magical practices in Late Antiquity.