Researchers at Heidelberg University have deciphered an ancient Greek curse tablet found in the Netherlands that was meant to harm an enemy by calling on gods and demons. The lead tablet dates to the second century A.D. and comes from the Roman province of Lower Germania.
Dutch archaeologists uncovered the tablet during excavation work in Heerlen. It had been buried beneath the town square, on the site of a former Roman military post called Coriovallum.
The tablet measures about 9.3 by 4.8 centimeters (3.7 by 1.9 inches). Most curse tablets found in northern Europe are written in Latin, but this ancient tablet carries a Greek inscription written in an Egyptian style. Rodney Ast, academic director at Heidelberg’s Institute for Papyrology, said the find is unusual for that reason.
To study the writing, researchers used a method called reflectance transformation imaging. It combines many photographs taken under different lighting conditions to bring out faint details on the metal surface. The process revealed three separate groups of writing on the tablet.
Ancient Greek curse tablet names possible targets
One part of the inscription includes three symbols known as Characteres. Ast said the symbols were probably meant to deliver a message to supernatural powers.
Another section names two men and two women, all described as fellow slaves. Ast said the tablet may have targeted those four people directly, or called on them to place a curse on someone else whose name was left out.
The names drawn added attention because the two men carry Latin names while the two women carry Greek names.
Julia Lougovaya, a research associate at the institute, said one of the women may have written the inscription herself, having brought the tradition with her from her home region in Roman Egypt.
Egyptian magic traditions spread through the Roman Empire
Joachim Quack, director of Heidelberg’s Institute for Egyptology, said magic held a major place in ancient Egyptian life. He said practices tied to protection and healing were accepted as part of religious life, while those aimed at gaining an advantage over others were usually kept secret.
Quack said the discovery shows how traditions from the Near East, Egypt, Judaism, and early Christianity increasingly mixed and spread across the Roman Empire during that period.
Curse tablets, known in Latin as defixiones, were typically made of lead. People believed the metal’s weight and cool feel gave it power to bind a target. Such tablets were often buried after being inscribed with curses against opponents in legal cases, sports contests, or romantic affairs.
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