Materiality of Greek and Roman Curse Tablets

Technological Advances

by Sofia Torallas Tovar and Raquel Martin Hernandez

Book cover: Materiality of Greek and Roman Curse Tablets

Extent: 77 pages

Publisher: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

Subjects: Classical Studies, Mediterranean Archaeology

Language: English

PDF (Published)

(September 2022)

ISBN: 9781614910824

Price: $19.95

The study of ancient curse tablets (defixiones or defixionum tabellae) throughout the twentieth century was based almost exclusively on the texts they contained, leaving aside, as less interesting, the analysis of the materiality of the magical artifacts on which the texts were written. The curse tablets, which were inscribed and subsequently deposited during rituals for aggressive purposes, present important material characteristics and states of preservation that deserve to be part of the analysis to which they are normally subjected. This volume contains essays on important aspects related to the materiality of lead tablets: conservation and restoration, multispectral photography, computational image processing, and paleographic analysis. The material approach to the study of the tablets in recent years is put in context in an epilogue.

  • By (author) Raquel Martin Hernandez
  • Edited by Sofia Torallas Tovar