Animali domestici e magia aramaica nella Mesopotamia tardoantica.

The large corpus of Mesopotamian incantation bowls inscribed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, Mandaic and Syriac has been studied for more than 150 years. The issues that pop up in these texts are important for the research on language, religious identity and cultural syncretism in Mesopotamia during the period of Late Antiquity (5th-7th cent. AD). As a matter of fact, all texts contain references to demons, evil beings, malevolent agents and the like. In some cases, these demons are said to be able to appear in the guise of animals and to emit barkings and cries. This fact seems to be one of the most fearful perceived threats to people’s safety. At first, this may seem surprising; the animals closest to men pose the greatest threat to their safety.