@artemiscollective: Roman Curse Tablets 🏺 | The Romans didn't have a police force. So when someone wronged you, one of the most popular options was magic: writing a curse on a piece of lead, nailing it shut, and asking a god to handle it. Over 1,500 of these have survived, found from Britain to North Africa. One man cursed a glove thief with the loss of their mind and eyes. Another cursed a cloak thief with no sleep, no children, and death...until the cloak was returned. One tablet from Cyprus contains only: "May your penis hurt when you make love." These are called defixiones. They are some of the most human documents the ancient world produced. 📜 Sources: Tetria Maria tablet — official record: Roman Inscriptions of Britain, RIB 7 What defixiones were and their history: UNRV Roman History The scale — over 1,500 found: History.com Academic overview: Cambridge Core — Curse Tablets: The History of a Technology Bath curse tablets: Wikipedia The specific examples: Ancient Origins — 8 Hilarious Curse Tablets from the Roman World The glove and cloak curses: Roman Inscriptions of Britain — Tab.Sulis 10 When Romans had their clothes stolen — Atlas Obscura #ancienthistory #ancientrome #archaeology #HistoryTime #historytok

Sarah | Classical History🏺

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Thursday 09 July 2026 00:00:13 GMT

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Comments

SVA :

These are the things I wanted to learn in school. Military history is important and can be interesting, but I've always been more curious on how they lived, what they did for fun etc.

2026-08-06 14:54:44

Des :

I learn more from you than i did from any high school teacher we had

2026-07-09 02:21:11

— 𝐀 :

Damn Maria

2026-07-15 08:00:51

Chris21 :

I can read this

2026-08-03 17:10:40

⚜︎ ✧ Echoes of Sin ✧ ⚜︎ :

I always love hearing what is written on these… got to love Ancient Tea!!! But that first one with the 7 nails someone REALLY wanted her to keep her mouth shut 💯

2026-08-03 18:31:59

forum faktum :

A curse tablet has actually been found in a medieval latrine in my hometown at a construction site behind the townhall and the Roman's never officially set up any camp near here but their practices still spread beyond their time and area

2026-07-17 15:30:54

🗡️ :

Authubillah😭

2026-07-16 16:47:14

Mary :

I saw this while visiting Bath. Very cool stuff

2026-07-09 05:43:18

Queen Meranda of History :

this sort of reminds me of when you want to say something to someone whether it be a goodbye or that you're upset. then after you write it instead of sending it, you burn it. perhaps as we modernized we took the tradition of believing we're getting someone cursed and just used it as a way to set ourselves free

2026-07-09 02:49:07

Pat Jackman :

Vocal fry is still a thing? 😲🙄

2026-07-09 01:16:32

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