Elke Fuchs / Institute of Papyrology, University of Heidelberg
Heerlen curse tablet with an ancient Greek invocation of gods and demons in Egyptian style
A find from Roman Germania Inferior contains a rare Greek inscription with a binding spell intended to harm enemies.
In ancient Rome, There was no lack of conflict of everyday life — some of them similar to those we still know today. Perhaps a neighbor would take him to court, claiming he owed them money. Maybe someone else would start courting the great love of his life.
Or perhaps, in an example, this one, specific to Ancient Rome, a certain gladiator was about to face him in the arena.
Around 2,000 years ago, however, anyone who found themselves in one of these situations and wanted the gods punish an enemy he could ask them for help through a curse tablet. It was enough to engrave a vengeful desire on a small piece, usually made of lead, and bury it in the hope that supernatural forces would harm the rival.
These magical tablets, known in Latin as fixations and in Greek as katadesmoiwere part of life in the Roman Empire.
One of these ancient tablets, dating from the 2nd century AD, was discovered by archaeologists in Heerlen, the Netherlands, on the site of the ancient Roman military settlement of Coriovallum.
Researchers at the University of Heidelberg have now deciphered the inscription on the artifact, which came from the Roman province of Germania Inferior.
The board, made of lead, is distinguished by containing a text in ancient GreekEgyptian in style, and not in Latin, as is the case with most curse tablets found in Northern Europe, explains Rodney Astdirector of the Institute of Papyrology at the University of Heidelberg in .
According to Ast, these small tablets were inscribed with spells or binding spellso and then buried to influence or “tie” opponents in legal proceedings, sporting rivals or romantic competitors.
Lead, heavy, cold to the touch and easy to work with, was also seen as a material with “tying” properties.
The Heerlen tablet was discovered by a team of Dutch archaeologists in a pit under the square in front of the town hall. The artifact, which measures 9.3 by 4.8 centimeters, contains three distinct groups of characters.
What makes the tablet particularly notable is the invocation, in Egyptian style and composed in ancient Greek, of various deities and demons. Additionally, the artifact contains three magical symbols, known as characters.
According to Ast, these symbols were probably used to convey the desired message to supernatural powers.
After the symbols appear the names of two men and two womenreferred to as fellow slaves. “The board served as a curse against these four slaves, or as a curse cast in their name against an unidentified person”, states the papyrologist from Heidelberg.
The composition of the group mentioned in the inscription is also unusual, as it includes two men with Latin names and two women with Greek names.
“It cannot be excluded the possibility that one of the two women was the author of the inscription and that brought with him from Roman Egyptthe supposed ability to communicate with divine powers through these types of curses”, explains Julia Lougovayaassociate researcher at the Institute of Papyrology.
In the civilization that flourished along the Nile, magic played an important role, he emphasizes Joachim Quackdirector of the Institute of Egyptology at the University of Heidelberg.
Some practices, especially those linked to protection and healingwere officially recognized and were part of religious life accept. Others, in which self-interests were pursued at the expense of others, tended to be carried out in secret.
The curse tablet should now be displayed in the Heerlen Museum.
