The name Abraxas ἀβραξάς was engraved on certain antique gemstones, called on that account Abraxas stones, which were used as amulets or charms. The seven letters spelling its name may represent each of the seven classical planets. The word may be related to "abracadabra," although other explanations exist.
The attached photograph is of an amulet featuring Abraxas holding a shield in his right hand and an ax in his left. The figure has a human body, a bird's head, and lower extremities shaped like serpents.
Diameter: 3.5 cm.
Era: Byzantine.
Photo: Marwān Mislmānī.
From the collection of the National Museum of Damascus (acquired in 1954).
Bašīr Zuhdī. Ālihat aṭ-Ṭibb wa Mašāhidahā. Annales Archéologiques Arabes Syriennes XXV 1975 (pp. 83-116).
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