“His Children Destroy the Residence and Building”

An Unpublished Mandaic Amulet on Ptahil’s Creations (MLSC 4)

Abstract

This article presents the editio princeps of a Mandaean amulet inscribed on a lead lamella (MLSC 4). The amulet contains two formula. The first describes how the children of Ptahil, who are described as "the guardians of the ruins", wreak havoc in the world. The formula draws heavily on Mandaean lore. The second formula is mostly lost, and only the end survives. The article discusses material aspects of the artefact and provides a full transliteration and translation of its contents, a reconstruction of some broken sections based upon unpublished parallels, and notes that relate to linguistic and literary aspects of the text.