2,500-year-old curse card in ancient well

Archaeologists discovered 30 cards at the bottom of an ancient well, on each face were engraved with a curse used to harm the recipient.

The curse plates were buried under the 2,500-year-old well at the ancient Kerameikos cemetery in Athens, Greece. The team is not clear who created the curse because their names do not appear on the card. The cards have many passages to the gods in the afterlife for them to bless.

Kerameikos cemetery in Athens.(Photo: Fox News).

Carving curses on a card made of lead, wax, and stone is not uncommon in Greek and Roman times, where there was no clear distinction between magic and religion. According to Christopher A. Faraone, a classical professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, much of the curse was created to murder enemies. The ancients could also place curses in the tomb in the hope that spirits could help fulfill their requests.

Jutta Stroszeck, a researcher at the German Institute of Archeology, said the cards date back to the 4th century BC. During this period, King Demetrius, who ruled Athens between 317 and 307 BC, banned laws from burying the curse tag in the tomb, forcing local residents to find other ways to hide the curse like dropping it into a well.

"Water, especially drinking water, is very sacred," explains Stroszeck. "The ancients perceived the well as the path to the afterlife guarded by the gods, so they often put pots and sacrifices on the well."

1. In addition to other curse cards, the team also found pottery, wooden products, cooking utensils, clay lamps and bronze coins. According to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Kerameikos cemetery is named after the pottery worker community that once lived there. Due to its proximity to the river and frequent flooding, this area is difficult to settle down and is gradually used as a burial site.
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