Evil Eye Mosaic

Evil Eye Mosaic from the entrance hall of the House of the Evil Eye, Antioch, early second century AD, Antakya Museum, inv. 1024.

In this mosaic, a representation of Evil Eye is being attacked by a spear, a trident, a snake, a scorpion, a centipede, and a barking dog, accompanied by an ithyphallic (i.e. well-endowed) dwarf and the Greek inscription KAI CY ("And You").

Magic and curses were significant worry in late Roman society. The mosaic reflects the vulnerability felt by the inhabitants around doorways and passageways, where the misfortunes of the envious eye could be brought in by outsiders. From the same house are the Lucky Hunchback and the Black Fisherman.

See this article (offsite) for the role of the evil eye and the Nazar Bonjuk in modern Turkey.

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