Ancient Roman Curse Tablet Unearthed in Netherlands Reveals Chilling Plea for Divine Revenge
Heerlen, as a former Roman military outpost, is an important archaeological site for discovering how people lived in the outer stretches of the Roman Empire. Previously, archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old tomb of a Roman soldier named Flaccus in Heerlen, as well as a piece of limestone used as a board game.
Jutta Stroszeck/German Archaeological InstituteOne of 30 ancient curse tablets found in an ancient Greek well.
Whether found in Heerlen or hundreds of miles away, ancient curse tablets have been uncovered across Europe. Several years ago, 30 ancient curse tablets were found in a 38-foot, 2,500-year-old well in Kerameikos, an ancient Greek excavation site. In 2022, 21 curse tablets were found at a Roman necropolis in France, all of them dating back to between the first and third centuries C.E.
In the new discovery made in Heerlen, however, the ancient curse tablet is unusual for its Egyptian-style invocations of deities and its use of Ancient Greek text. These Egyptian influences on ancient Roman tablets could open up more pathways for researchers trying to understand the role that magic played in ancient civilizations throughout the Mediterranean.
In ancient Egypt, some magical practices related to protection and healing were a normal and recognized part of religious life, while other practices that benefitted oneself at the expense of others were done in secret. These more clandestine magical practices were likely adopted in the Roman Empire in the form of curses engraved on tablets and surreptitiously hidden underground.
“In the early centuries A.D., Near Eastern, Egyptian, Jewish, and sometimes even Christian traditions increasingly merged and spread throughout the entire Roman Empire of that time — a development that the discovery from Heerlen impressively underscores,” said Dr. Joachim Quack, the director of Heidelberg University’s Institute for Egyptology.
After reading about the rare ancient curse tablet found in the Netherlands, see the ancient Greek jar used to curse 55 people. Then, learn about the ancient Roman magic used to speak to the dead.
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