Demon wards unearthed under ancient floors

Eggs were used in many ancient rituals and traditions. Image Credit: sxc.hu

Archaeologists have discovered evidence that the residents of an ancient city used eggs to ward off evil.

Long before the advent of modern science, people of the ancient world would attribute destructive events such as earthquakes and tsunamis to spirits, demons and other evil forces.

At the site of the ancient city of Sardis where a devastating earthquake once struck, archaeologists have unearthed evidence that its residents once relied on special rituals and charms to ward off evil and prevent subsequent disasters.

Artifacts such as eggshells and coins were found to have been buried as part of these rituals in a discovery that is believed to be one of the few known examples of how natural disasters affected the people of the time on a personal level.

"That's what makes this deposit so interesting," said Elizabeth Raubolt of the University of Missouri. "It's one person's way of coping with the uncertainties and tumultuous events of that period."