An anti-epilepsy amulet from upper Lake Garda (south-west Trentino) has been discovered
in an underground tomb complex dating to the late 2nd/early
3rd
century. The amulet was
made and used slightly earlier. The object, which is small, is composed of two elements, a
silver case and a thin strip
of
silver. The strip, originally rolled up and placed inside the
case, is completely covered with 29 lines
of
Greek characters. The content is magical and
contains prophylactic formulas provided by an Oriental magician (most probably from Egypt)
for Tertius, son
of
Syra, an epileptic.
The disease is described precisely, with details
of
its
symptoms.
