Curses Trapped in Tombs: Romans Used Lead Tablets for Revenge
A Roman family buries their loved one—and drops a rolled-up lead curse into the grave, targeting an enemy by name.
Unknown — "Fragmentary bronze statuette of Herakles with lion's skin" (1st–3rd century CE), public domain
Burying a Curse With the Dead
A Roman family buries their loved one—and drops a rolled-up lead curse into the grave, targeting an enemy by name.
Vengeful Spells On Lead Tablets
Some Roman graves held not just bones, but spells of vengeance. Thin sheets of lead, scratched with names and pleas for harm, were folded and buried with the dead. Archaeologists have found these defixiones in tombs across the empire—personal, bitter, and written in a hand trembling with rage.
Some Roman graves held not just bones, but spells of vengeance. Thin sheets of lead, scratched with names and pleas for harm, were folded and buried with the dead. Archaeologists have found these defixiones in tombs across the empire—personal, bitter, and written in a hand trembling with rage.
