--- title: Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia author: Nathalie Choubineh source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21229/curse-tablet-from-pella-ancient-kingdom-of-macedon/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) updated: 2025-10-25 --- # Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia _Authored by [Nathalie Choubineh](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/nathalie.choubineh/)_ ## Image File [![Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21229.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21229.jpg) ## Image Caption Pella curse tablet, lead scroll, first half of the 4th century BCE. [Writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/) and dedicating a curse tablet (*katadesmos*) was an act of practical magic in the Greco-[Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) world. Curse tablets were fragmental sheets of lead—or, in rare instances, [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/) or [silver](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silver/)—with divine appeals written on them summoning the deities associated with the underworld, such as [Hades](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hades/) and [Persephone](https://www.worldhistory.org/persephone/), magic (e.g., [Hecate](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hecate/)), or the liminal transition to the afterlife (e.g., [Charon](https://www.worldhistory.org/Charon/)). The content could often be vindictive, as a reaction to emotional or material loss, or preemptive, to prevent an unfavourable event from happening. This well-preserved curse tablet retrieved from the right-hand side of an interred body in the cemetery of Pella falls into the second category. It reads: > Of Thetima and Dionysophon the ritual wedding and the marriage I bind by a written spell, as well as \[the marriage\] of all other [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) \[to him\], both widows and maidens, but above all of Thetima; and I entrust \[this spell\] to Macron and to the *daimones*. And were I ever to unfold and read these words again after digging \[the tablet\] up, only then should Dionysophon marry, not before; may he indeed not take another woman than myself, but let me alone grow old by the side of Dionysophon and no one else. I implore you: have Pity for \[Phila?\], dear *daimones*, \[for I am indeed bereft?\] of all my dear ones and abandoned. But please keep this \[piece of writing\] for my sake so that these events do not happen and wretched Thetima perishes miserably. … but let me become happy and blessed. Apart from presenting a nearly complete narrative, the curse tablet from Pella is significant for understanding the cultural identity of the ancient Macedonians. It is composed in a local Doric dialect belonging to the Northwestern [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) Group, which makes it plausible as a piece of solid linguistic evidence of the region’s [Hellenic](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/) character. The author—likely a woman of non-elite status—thus demonstrates familiarity with the Greek language, which was often associated with the upper classes striving to be recognized as true Hellenes. This suggests that Greek was already widely spoken in Pella at the time. As such, the tablet provides compelling support for the profound and persistent Greek heritage of the Macedonian people. Archaeological Museum of Pella. #### Editorial Review This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## Bibliography - Greg Woolf. "Curse Tablets: The History of a Technology." *Greece and Rome*, vol. 69, April 2022, pp. 120-134. - [Lamont, Jessica L. *In Blood and Ashes.* Oxford University Press, 2023.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0197517781/) ## About the Author Nathalie is a translator and independent researcher of dance in the ancient world with a focus on Ancient Greece and the Near East. She has published works in ancient dance, ethnomusicology, and literature. She loves learning and sharing knowledge. - [Facebook Profile](https://www.facebook.com/nathalie.choubineh/) - [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-choubineh-035a8451/) ## External Links - [Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πέλλας | Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πέλλας - Πέλλα](https://www.pella-museum.gr/) ## Cite This Work ### APA Choubineh, N. (2025, October 25). Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia. *World History Encyclopedia*. ### Chicago Choubineh, Nathalie. "Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia." *World History Encyclopedia*, October 25, 2025. . ### MLA Choubineh, Nathalie. "Curse Tablet from Pella, Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia." *World History Encyclopedia*, 25 Oct 2025, . ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Nathalie Choubineh](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/nathalie.choubineh/ "User Page: Nathalie Choubineh"), published on 25 October 2025. 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