Roman Curse Tablets
By Charlie Whittle, second-year Classical Studies
Roman curse tablets are not considered to be magical curses in Roman Britain, rather judicial curses focusing on theft. This suggests that the relationship between religion and curse tablets is less to do with the outcome but with the act itself. I believe this conveys that relationships with religion are based on the superiority of the divine; an individuals fear of the divine is what would prevent them from committing theft. In addition, I believe that the material used for curse tablets is as significant to curse tablets as what is written upon them.
The Roman Baths is a museum of a well-preserved Roman bathing facility in Bath, Somerset. The location was dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva: a hybrid goddess of Romano-Celtic religion. Sulis was an indigenous British goddess of healing springs who was Romanised into Sulis Minerva proceeding the building of the baths in 70 CE. The water from the baths comes from an underground spring that was manufactured to bring water to areas of the complex for bathing, the water naturally has a temperature of 46°. The baths were frequently visited due to the belief that hot water was a cure for ailments stated initially by Pliny. This implies it is a perfect place for theft as individual’s belongings were left unattended when bathing.
Curse tablets found in the Roman Baths convey that the perception of the gods as divine was prevalent in people’s relationship with religion. This suggests that the curse tablets didn’t need to work for a relationship with religion to be sustained.
When considering the perpetrator, Rahravan states that people were controlled through their fear of the gods. Therefore, the knowledge that a curse tablet could be made because of a theft may have deterred crime because there would be no escape from the divine. However, Rahravan’s point may not be completely true as law enforcement did exist in Roman Britain, if not widespread. If there is a form of law enforcement, there is a paranoia of being reported which could deter crime. However, due to the smaller use of a policing system in Roman Britain, it is likely the fear of the divine was more persuasive.
Due to the number of curse tablets discovered at the Roman Baths, it can be assumed this was a common practice. This implies that thieves must have been expected to be cursed because of their crime. Although the curse itself may not have worked, the guilt of the crime may have led to psychosomatic illnesses in less frequent offenders. This is suggested by Tomlin who expands that the guilt and illness would have reinforced the perceived power of the curse tablets. If the victim became ill, their fear of the divine would increase as it would be assumed to be a punishment due to their actions. On the other hand, the relationship of the victim with religion would be strengthened through using curse tablets. This means that, creating curse tablets helps the victim feel like something is being done about the theft. This is because it enforces that something has been done about the crime.
In addition to the contents of the curse tablets, the material of the tablets was just as significant. The materials used not only holds a practical use but also emphasises the intent of the tablet through its symbolism. Curse tablets were primarily made with lead, although typically alloyed with tin. This is because tin would lower the melting point and increase how malleable the material was. However, tin is found in Devon and Cornwall therefore, the tin would have needed to be exported, which is an expensive endeavour. Since few curse tablets have been found elsewhere in Britain, further excavations would be needed to evaluate if the use of tin is unique to Bath.
Lead was a practical choice of material as it is a malleable and cheap. This meant that it could easily be bought and made into thin sheets, folded and be inscribed with little resistance. This was important for concealing the curse; Jessica Lamont mentions how this made lead a preferred material compared to other cheap materials such as ceramic as it made it easier to hide. Therefore, lead has practical advantages to other materials. However, some curse tablets were not folded. This may be due to the writing on both sides or personal preference. As an alternative, tablets may have been nailed to a surface, however, in double-sided tablets this only hides half of the writing. This has led to more fully preserved curse tablets as due to the malleable properties of lead as well as age, folded curse tablets tend to become damaged, leading to only fragments being salvageable. It can be concluded that the practical advantages of lead are important to an individual’s relationship with religion as the properties and cheap cost of lead meant that curse tablets became accessible. Therefore, people are more likely to use curse tablets, strengthening the relationship with the divine through personal connection. Furthermore, the ability to manipulate lead allowed for the tablet to be private, thus reinforcing the connection further.
The symbolic reasoning behind using lead also impacts a person’s relationship with religion as intent becomes more significant if there is physical impact as well. Exposure to lead dust, fume or vapour can lead to long term health problems as well as short term illness around the body. The effects of the material itself symbolise the intent of many people in curse tablets. Although the effects of lead are not the same, inscribing a curse on a material that has similar, damaging effects emphasises the intent of the author through association. However, before the late 19th century, people were unaware of the negative effects of lead. Therefore, we must acknowledge that the symbolism of lead in Roman Britain came from other factors such as colour and touch.
The cold touch of lead as well as its colour associated lead with ill health and death. This is because the dark grey colour of the material was a reminder of a corpse or ash on a funeral pyre. In addition, the weight of the lead would similarly remind people of the weight of a corpse. Therefore, an individual writing a curse tablet, wishing punishment on a thief would be emphasising the content of the curse through the aesthetic attributes. Like other religious practices, the process of performing a religious action also contributes to its significance due to the actions themselves holding purpose. This can be seen in the symbolism of curse tablets as the process of writing the curse on lead would enforce the purpose of the curse to the divine, establishing the need for assistance from the writer thus forming a close relationship with religion.
However, a combination of the practical and symbolic meaning was often combined in making curse tablets. Lead is typically alloyed with other materials or used as a binding agent. Therefore, writing on lead could symbolise binding down the receiver of the curse. This could emphasise to the gods the purpose of the curse as the aid of the material conveys that the words written on the curse tablet have intent behind them, it is not superficial. Furthermore, curses were occasionally written on lead staples. Writing the curse on something that has a functional purpose, clearly displays the intent, this can be seen in association with binding curses[1]. Therefore, the material used must have some intention surrounding it suggesting this helps aid the curse. The thought put into writing a curse tablet suggests that the action was not a frivolous one. This means that the relationship between curse tablets and religion is significant as it is a form of invoking the divine. If the curse tablet holds meaning in more ways than just the writing, it implies that the individual is asking for the enforcement of the gods.
Overall, curse tablets do aid in the understanding of relationships of religion. Through the contents of curse tablets, we can understand that the relationship with gods such as Sulis Minerva are important in the enforcement of order. Curse tablets use an aspect of fear to deter further crime through the threat of divine punishment. In addition, the psychological effects of guilt can also reinforce the relationship of fear in the perpetrator through assertion that punishment has occurred. We can understand that the process of creating a curse tablet helps to strengthen a relationship with the divine as the process holds the same importance as the words.
Bibliography
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Lamont, Jessica. 2021. ‘Cold and Worthless: The Role of Lead in Curse Tablets’.
Mackillop, James. 2017. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. (Oxford University Press)
Pliny (the Elder). 1855. The Natural History of Pliny, trans. by John Bostock (Taylor & Francis)
Rahravan, Fahimeh. 2023. ‘Roman Curse Tablets from the Baths: Manuscripts ForMagic, Ritual, and Religion’, International Journal of Social Science and Humanity.
Robertson, Sally. 2017. ‘Lead Poisoning History’, News-Medical.net <https://www.news-medical.net/health/Lead-Poisoning-History.aspx>
The Roman Baths. 2021. ‘Walkthrough’, The Roman Baths <https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough>
Tomlin, Roger. 1988. ‘The Curse Tablets’, in The Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath (Oxford: Oxford University Committee for Archaeology)