2,500-Year-Old ‘Curse Tablets’ Found in Athens are Archaeological Shock
Athenians used wells to talk with the underworld gods.
2,500-year-old thirty lead tablets have been found in the well in Athens. What makes this historic find interesting? The curses they contain.
These tablets were used to ask the Underworld Gods to cause harm to others. Initially, the excavation team, under Stroszeck’s direction, was investigating the water supply to a public bathhouse. Little did they suspect they would discover a set of curses.
Apart from the tablets, the archaeologist found drinking vessels, wine vessels, cooking pots, lamps, and wooden pulleys. Interestingly, it was the first time the well was excavated, despite excavation being done near the area regularly for centuries.
Ritual texts were scratched on the small lead objects with the person’s name who was supposed to receive the curse.
Apart from the use of well, the Athenians would also put such cursed objects in tombs, hoping the dead would carry the spells to the underworld. What caused ancient Athens to shift their idea from using graves to the wells for the same purpose?
