TIL: Romans and Greeks routinely used folded sheets of lead or pewter to inscribe curses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_tablet

Greeks and Romans would frequently curse anyone they didn't like, writing it as a curse on a lead sheet, roll it up and pierce it with a nail and put in a specific place, depending on the curse.

Given the amount of such tablets found, they probably cursed someone every other week.

For extra photos - https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/roman-curse-tablets

86 points · 6 comments · view on lemmy.world

6 Comments

mangaskahn@lemmy.waynetec.us · 12 pts · 194d (3 replies)

I write these words in lead, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted.

blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 194d (1 reply)

What about stone tablets

Ceruleum@lemmy.wtf · 2 pts · 194d

Uh oh, occult poetry destroyed by FACTS ;-)

ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 194d

Ah, any day I find a Sanderson quote in the wild is a good day.

renzhexiangjiao@piefed.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 194d (1 reply)

the curse was lead poisoning?

ICastFist@programming.dev · 4 pts · 194d

It's an effective curse