A jar of curses: researchers have studied a vessel found in Athens

Scientists have deciphered the inscriptions on an ancient Greek jar found in 2006 in Athens (Greece). While exploring the agora, an ancient market square, a ceramic vessel containing chicken bones was discovered. It turned out that 55 names were engraved on the surface of the jug, to which the collective curse was addressed. The vessel was pierced with a nail and then buried near one of the commercial buildings in about 300 BC.

It was only recently that the inscriptions were fully deciphered. The names of the victims are indicated on the sides and at the bottom of the pot, 30 of them are written legibly, the rest are badly erased, some of them have separate letters. The invariable attributes of the ritual were parts of a chicken and a nail, which, according to the plan of the cursing, was supposed to immobilize and limit the abilities of the victims. The age of the killed bird did not exceed seven months. Probably, the chicken symbolized weakness and inability to defend itself. The severed head and punctures in the lower legs meant that these parts of the body had to suffer from the objects of the curse.

Jars of curses are quite rare. More often, archaeologists discover lead tablets created to defeat enemies. Often the target of curses was judges and witnesses involved in legal disputes. The presence of a jar with curses may be due to the fact that the participants in such a trial were potters.