The reflection of magic and occult sciences in early Byzantine art, its projection in middle ages and beyond

Throughout its existence, humanity gave meanings to natural powers and phenomena that they couldn't understand, thus created a great supernatural corpus. These deeprooted beliefs can be encountered in every society and religious belief system. Usually transferred within the oral tradition, these beliefs became an essential part of every society. The belief of magic is one of these beliefs In general, magic is the art of manipulation of nature and divine powers using one's supernatural powers. In Early Byzantine era these beliefs are also wide spread among the people. Especially magical objects called amulets used for protection against evil and illnesses were very common in Early Byzantine society; similar beliefs are still living among people and parallel practices are applied in Anatolian societies. The purpose of this study is to reveal how common was the belief of magic, how it was used, what the religious authorities thought about using these magical objects. Keywords Magic, amulet, Early Byzantine, Late Antique, Holy Rider, Evil Eye, Christianity