Part A – Roman curse tablets
In the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, five curse tablets are found among its collection. The five curse tablets belonging to Ancient Rome are rolled together and pinned with the help of an iron nail. The curse is made of lead material carved upon the tablet, and deposited into wells and graves. It was common to bury the curse tablet in a dead person’s grave, as it was believed that the person dying would take the curse along with him to God. The curse is written in Latin language and specifically names the person upon whom the curse is directed. However, the name of the person who gives the curse is not mentioned to avoid counter curses. (Archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu, 2017)
Part B – Greek curse tablets
Greece was the other place from where numerous curse tablets were excavated, especially from Athens. Along with information like the name and other details of the curse, the date of the curse is also given in Greek tablets. Five such tablets found from Ancient Greece were found to have the name of invoke the names of Hermes, Artemis, and Hecate, who were the Greek god of trade and the goddesses of the wild and witchcraft, respectively. It was understood that the curse tablet was because of rivalry in business. The curse was written in a very skillful and poetic manner as if some professional writer had written it (IFLScience, 2017). One of the five tablets had nothing written over. It is understood that it may contain an oral spell recited over it.
References
Archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu. (2017). A Roman Lead Curse Tablet | Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum. [online]
IFLScience. (2017). Curse Tablets From An Ancient Greek Grave Have Been Deciphered. [online]
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