Pydna curse tablets

[1] Each tablet contains a curse or magic spell (Ancient Greek: κατάδεσμος, katadesmos), probably all of judicial nature, and has been dated to the 4th century BC.

[8] The tablets exhibit familiar themes, such as the targeting of the victims' tongues, the verbs of binding down (καταδεσμεύω) and writing down (καταγράφω), as well as the form of columnar name lists.

[11] Local linguistic features are present, such as the shift between pt > kt in proper names (i.e. Ktolemmas for Ptolemmas), the long vowel /ā/, the preposition πέρ for περί, and the doubling of sigma before consonants (i.e. Arisstion etc.).

[12] Since the signs of this Attic-Ionic koine are present here within judiciary texts, which are documented throughout the Greek word, it is not certain to what extent they are also reflected in the spoken variety of Pydna.

Though previously ignored as being of minor significance, magic has been proven to be widely practiced throughout the ancient Greek world in conjunction with official religious beliefs.

That said, magic remained a marginal practice, largely performed in secret, and associated with the underworld and the daimones (lesser guiding spirits, navigating between the gods and the humans).

By the mid-4th century BC, neighbouring settlements that had now passed under Macedonian control would go on to yield a handful of curse tablets of their own, including the cities of Arethousa, Oraiokastro, and Akanthos.

[21] The missing of the final -s in Lynkorita[s] and Ktolemma[s] is a phenomenon familiar with Northwest Greek, while the frequent appearance of the -as ending in the tablet is an indication of its Aeolic–Doric character.

[23] The verb καταγράφω and the following expressions used against rival litigants, also occurring in a curse tablet from Arethousa, may also be an indication of the fast-growing influence of a ritual koine in the northern Aegean.

The main verb καταδεσμεύω also occurs in other 4th century curse tablets from Attica and Euboea, and is again accompanied by the word ἐχθρός 'enemy'.

The tablet exhibits the characteristic local duplication of sigma, such as in the name Aris(s)tion (Ἀρισστίων) and the verbs καταδεσσμεύω and δυνάσσθω 'to be able'.