Ancient Amulet Links Solomon to Demon-Slaying Legacy

A rare fifth-century CE bronze amulet discovered in Turkey may provide tangible evidence of long-disputed biblical traditions about King Solomon’s supernatural powers over demons. The 1,600-year-old pendant, unearthed during excavations at the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, depicts Solomon defeating the devil and bears the Greek inscription “Our Lord defeated the devil.”

The remarkable find, announced by Associate Professor Ersin Çelikbaş of Karabük University, was discovered among ruins of a military structure, suggesting it belonged to a Roman soldier who wore it for divine protection. The amulet features Solomon mounted on horseback, wielding a spear against demonic forces.

“The discovery of similar artifacts in these two distant regions indicates that Hadrianopolis was an important religious center in antiquity,” he said. Hadrianopolis is the ancient city where the excavation occurred, in the Eskipazar district of Karabük.

Çelikbaş also noted the pendant is connected to the ancient city’s military significance.

“In our previous excavations, we had identified concrete evidence of the presence of a cavalry unit here,” he said.

The artifact appears to reference the “Testament of Solomon,” a text written between the 1st and 5th centuries CE but excluded from the biblical canon due to its focus on magic and demonology. According to this work, the Archangel Michael gave Solomon a magical ring that granted him the power to summon and control demons.

The pendant’s reverse side bears the names of four angels in Greek: Azrail, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil. While these angels hold significance across multiple faiths, researchers believe the amulet is of Christian origin.

“This is the first discovery of its kind in this region,” notes Dr. Çelikbaş. “The amulet’s military context is particularly significant, as Solomon was regarded as a protective figure for Roman and Byzantine cavalry units stationed at Hadrianopolis.”

The ancient city, known initially as Uskudama, was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around 124 CE and was a crucial military outpost protecting Rome’s frontier against threats from the Black Sea region. The site has yielded numerous Roman artifacts, including baths, churches, and a cavalry face mask dating to the third century CE.

Solomon is featured in three books of the Bible, with 1 Kings 3:12 saying that God gifted him with ‘a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.’

The Bible also describes how he generated extreme wealth while king, accumulating at least 25 tons of gold annually.

Historical records suggest Solomon’s reputation as a demon-subjugator extended beyond biblical accounts. In his Jewish Antiquities, the first-century CE historian Flavius Josephus wrote that God granted Solomon great wisdom but also gave him knowledge of demon-expelling techniques, including incantations for alleviating ailments and performing exorcisms.

“God also enabled him to learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful and sanative to men,” Josephus wrote. “He composed such incantations also by which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him the manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons so that they never return.

Hebrew Sources:

The Babylonian Talmud (Gittin 68b-69a) presents three distinct narratives about Solomon’s interactions with demons, particularly the demon-king Ashmedai. One version describes Solomon enlisting demonic aid to build the Temple, another focuses on the use of the shamir (a miraculous stone-cutting creature) without demonic assistance, and a third tells of Solomon’s temporary exile when a shape-shifting demon usurps his throne.

The Talmud (Gittin 68a) also recounts how Solomon sought the shamir for Temple construction, leading to his interaction with Asmodeus, king of demons. According to the text, Solomon dispatched his general Benayahu to capture Asmodeus, who revealed that the shamir was guarded by a woodcock under the protection of the Lord of the Sea.

Check out photos here and here.

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