A mysterious palindrome has been found inscribed on an ancient amulet from the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean.

Palindromes are words that when spelled backwards still spells the same word. Examples of palindromes are the words noon and radar.

The amulet is estimated to be about 1,500 years old and was discovered in Nea Paphos which is an ancient city in southwestern Cyprus. Other writings inscribed on the jewelry have some 59 characters and when deciphered reads the same backwards and forward.

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These amulets are believed to provide protection to the wearer from any kind of danger.

The mysterious ancient writing is translated as "Lahweh is the bearer of the secret name, the lion of Re secure in his shrine." The writing mentions the name of one of the gods in the pantheon of a once ancient land.

On the opposite side of the amulet's characters are carved images that include the underworld god Osiris lying on a boat. Osiris is accompanied by Harpocrates, the god of silence, sitting on a stool with a finger to his lips as if suggesting everyone to be quiet.

A cynocephalus is also in a similar position. It is a dog-like creature that seems to be the pet of Harpocrates.

According to Joachim Śliwa, a professor from the Institute of Archaeology at Jagiellonian University in Poland, the cynocephalus raises its paw towards Harpocrates as if in adoration. It's still a mystery if its right paw was indeed trying to imitate Harpocrates' gesture.

Harpocrates is usually depicted sitting on top of a lotus flower. Researchers have concluded that these deviations suggest the artist who made these drawings had little knowledge about his subjects and Greek mythology.

The drawing also has crisscross lines across Harpocrates and the cynocephalus signifying their mummified state along with Osiris. These markings are deemed inaccurate for Harpocrates. The artist also made some mistakes with the text when he replaced one character on top of another.

This study was published in the journal Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization.

TagsAncient Amulet in Cyprus Has Mysterious Palindrome Message, cyprus, palindrome, ancient amulet cyprus palindrome, greek mythology