Case file · Folklore / legend
Arslan Tash amulets
Two small limestone plaques bought at Arslan Tash in northern Syria carry Phoenician–Aramaic spells against night-flying demons, 'the flyers' and 'the stranglers of the lamb'.
700 BCE · 36.85, 38.37 · status: disputed
The account
Published in 1939, they were long read as early evidence of demons later known as lilin and Lilith. They are usually dated to the 7th century BC.
The sceptical view
They were bought, not excavated, and some scholars have argued that they are modern forgeries; others defend them.