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Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered an 800 - year - sure-enough healing bowl entail to protect against animal bites during excavations in an Artuqid geological period castle .

The bowl was ascertain within a terracotta water pipe at the site of Hasankeyf , an ancient settlement dating back about 12,000 year , Zekai Erdal , an archeology professor at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkey who is leading digging at the web site , told Live Science in an email . Excavations have been carry out since 1985 and have been more and more urgent as the construction of the Ilısu Dam has caused flooding in parts of the web site .

A photo of an inscribed metal bowl against a blue background.

The healing bowl was found within a castle in southeastern Turkey. It was meant to protect against animal bites.

The bowl see to the 12th or 13th century , when the Artuqid dynasty ruled the area , Erdal said . The rook was also constructed by the Artuqid dynasty around the same time . This dynasty dominate the area around Hasankeyf for about three centuries and establish themselves in battle withCrusadersand theByzantine Empire , according to theMetropolitan Museum of Artin New York City .

The bowl is emblazoned with trope of a firedog , Scorpio , Hydra and a dual - headed dragon , Edal say .

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An illustration highlighting the images and text, which includes passages from the Quran, on the healing bowl.

An illustration highlighting the images and text, which includes verses from the Quran, on the healing bowl.

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" concord to these figure , the person who drinks water from the healing bowl will be protect against animate being bite , or the somebody who drinks urine from this bowl after an animal bite will be healed , " Erdal said . There are also expressions and symbols on the arena colligate to deception , including verse line from the Quran .

Gold ring with intaglio cameo stone carved with bust of Apollo and a snake

The concept of the healing arena is found in many cultures . Erdal has been doing a literature search to identify healing bowls that still live . apart from this one , he ’s found 22 examples that are largely in museum or private aggregation . He ’s also found example on vendue theater internet site . During the Middle Ages , healing bowl were used in parts of the Middle East . Outside of the realm , Tibetans have made usage of bowls for similar purposes and the Tibetan version of the bowls continues to be used in modern times .

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Bones of a human skeleton laid out in anatomical position against a black background. The skeleton is missing its skull, hands, and feet.

A selection of metal objects

A vessel decorated with two human-like faces (one is shown above).

Stone-lined tomb.

Circular alignment of stones in the center of an image full of stones

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a close-up of a handmade stone tool

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hands that are wrinkled from water

Diagram of the mud waves found in the sediment.

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