Curse tablet from the Netherlands deciphered

[guy]

Roman curse tablets (defixiones) were thin sheets of metal (usually lead or pewter ) inscribed with spells to bring harm, bad luck, or divine retribution upon an enemy. (There was a previous post below on curse tablets found in France.)

Pictured above: Servilia inscribes a curse tablet against Atia of the Julii, her rival from the series “Rome.”

Below is an article about a translated curse tablet (pictured below) found in the Netherlands.

 

A 2nd‑century Roman curse tablet from ancient Coriovallum (modern Heerlen, Netherlands) has been deciphered, revealing a rare blend of Greek, Egyptian, and magical traditions.

The tablet is an unusually hybrid magical object—Greek text, Egyptian‑style demons, and Roman ritual context—showing how deeply interconnected religious and occult practices were in the Roman Empire.

These are the following findings:

A thin lead curse tablet (defixio) inscribed with a Greek invocation calling on underworld deities and demons.

The writing is accompanied by magical symbols, including Egyptian‑style figures and protective signs.

It dates to the 2nd century AD, when Coriovallum was a thriving Roman settlement along the road between Cologne and Boulogne.

The curse tablet is one of the northernmost examples of Egyptian‑style magical practice in Roman Europe.

The tablet was deciphered using reflectance transformation imaging — a computer‑assisted photographic method that shows the microscopic surface details invisible to the naked eye. This allows the scholars to read the worn Greek text and magical symbols.

 

 

https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/06/archaeologists-decipher-a-roman-curse-tablet-with-magical-symbols-found-in-ancient-coriovallum/

 

 

 

Edited June 20 by guy