Pella curse tablet
Pella curse tablet | |
---|---|
Material | Lead |
Created | c. 380–350 BC |
Discovered | 1986 Pella, Central Macedonia, Greece |
Present location | Archaeological Museum of Pella |
Language | Ancient Greek |
The Pella curse tablet is a text written in a distinct
The spell was written by a woman, possibly named Dagina or Phila. It was intended to prevent the marriage of her love interest, Dionysophon, with Thetima, and secure that Dionysophon would marry and live a happy life with her instead. The spell was entrusted to the corpse of a deceased man, named Macron.[8][9]
Interpretation
The Pella curse tablet includes a
Magic practices in
Text and translation
Greek
- 1. [ΘΕΤΙ]ΜΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΦΩΝΤΟΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΝ ΓΑΜΟΝ ΚΑΤΑΓΡΑΦΩ ΚΑΙ ΤΑΝ ΑΛΛΑΝ ΠΑΣΑΝ ΓΥ-
- 2. [ΝΑΙΚ]ΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΧΗΡΑΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΩΝ ΜΑΛΙΣΤΑ ΔΕ ΘΕΤΙΜΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΡΚΑΤΤΙΘΕΜΑΙ ΜΑΚΡΩΝΙ1 ΚΑΙ
- 3. [ΤΟΙΣ] ΔΑΙΜΟΣΙ ΚΑΙ ΟΠΟΚΑ ΕΓΩ ΤΑΥΤΑ ΔΙΕΛΕΞΑΙΜΙ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΓΝΟΙΗΝ ΠΑΛΕΙΝ ΑΝΟΡΟΞΑΣΑ
- 4. [ΤΟΚΑ] ΓΑΜΑΙ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΦΩΝΤΑ ΠΡΟΤΕΡΟΝ ΔΕ ΜΗ ΜΗ ΓΑΡ ΛΑΒΟΙ ΑΛΛΑΝ ΓΥΝΑΙΚΑ ΑΛΛ᾽ Η ΕΜΕ
- 5. [ΕΜΕ Δ]Ε ΣΥΝΚΑΤΑΓΗΡΑΣΑΙ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΦΩΝΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΜΗΔΕΜΙΑΝ ΑΛΛΑΝ ΙΚΕΤΙΣ ΥΜΩΜ ΓΙΝΟ-
- 6. [ΜΑΙ ΦΙΛ]ΑΝ2 ΟΙΚΤΙΡΕΤΕ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΕΣ ΦΙΛ[ΟΙ] ΔΑΓΙΝΑ3 ΓΑΡΙΜΕ ΦΙΛΩΝ ΠΑΝΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΗΜΑ ΑΛΛΑ
- 7. [ΤΑΥΤ]Α ΦΥΛΑΣΣΕΤΕ ΕΜΙΝ ΟΠΩΣ ΜΗ ΓΙΝΗΤΑΙ ΤΑ[Υ]ΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΚΑ ΚΑΚΩΣ ΘΕΤΙΜΑ ΑΠΟΛΗΤΑΙ
- 8. [....]ΑΛ[-].ΥΝΜ .. ΕΣΠΛΗΝ ΕΜΟΣ ΕΜΕ Δ᾽ ΕΥ[Δ]ΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΑΝ ΓΕΝΕΣΤΑΙ
- 9. [-]ΤΟ[.].[-].[..]..Ε.Ε.Ω[?]Α.[.]Ε..ΜΕΓΕ [-]
English
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 (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 digginng (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 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.
— Christesen & Murray 2010, p. 435, based on Voutiras 1998.
Points of interpretation
- "Makron" (line 2) is most probably the name of the dead man in whose grave the tablet was deposited. This was commonly done in the belief that the deceased would "convey" the message to the Chthonic spirits of the Greek underworld (the "daimones" in lines 3 and 6).
- The missing word in line 6 between "I am your supplicant" and "have pity" (here reconstructed as [Phil?]a) is carved at the edge of the tablet and the only things we can read of it are that it is a short word that ends in-AN. "PHILAN" is a likely reconstruction, but by no means the only one possible. If true, the word "PHILAN" could equally well be either the personal name "Phila",[20] a familiar ancient Macedonian name,[14] or the feminine adjective "phila", "friend" or "dear one". In the latter case, an alternative reading of line 6 would be: "Have pity on your dear one, dear daimones". In the former case, a personal name would be perfectly placed but, as the name of the person who wrote the curse is not mentioned elsewhere, it is impossible to know with certainty what the missing word is.
- The word "DAGINA" (line 6) is inexplicable and previously unattested, even as a personal name. Dubois (1995)[21] has suggested that the initial delta is a voiced tau, while the gamma should be seen as a misspelling of pi;[20] as such, the writer may have intended to write "dapina" (the difference between Γ and Π being a single stroke). If true, this may mean that dapina is an (also unattested) Macedonian rendering of what would be written tapeina,[22] and in standard Attic tapeinē (ταπεινή 'humble, lowly, brought low').[23] In this case the inscription reads: "for I am lowly from all my dear ones and abandoned" etc. Another possibility is that Dagina is perhaps related to δαγύς, a doll or puppet, especially as used in magic (cf. LSJ p. 364). Similarly, ΙΜΕ is also unexplained, but seems to be taken as a misspelling of ΕΜΙ (εμι); i.e. Attic εἰμί 'I am'.
Dating and language
The Pella curse tablet is dated to the first half of the 4th century BC. Jordan (2000) says the tablet has been dated to the "Mid-IV [century] or slightly earlier";[24] Engels (2010) writes that it is dated from mid- to early 4th century BC.[25] In particular, the tablet is most commonly dated between 380 and 350 BC, such as by Hall (2014),[9] Brixhe (2018),[26] Foxhall (2020),[27] Van Beek (2022),[28] and Lamont (2023).[29]
The text is written in a distinct
Additional features, like the dative case in δαίμοσι and the assimilation of /g/ in γίνο[μαι, may be an indication of some Attic-Ionic influence on this Doric variety.[5] Based on the dating of the tablet, a degree of Attic influence can be seen as plausible, as by the 4th century BC a common koine dialect based on Attic began to be favored over local dialects, including in the territory of Macedon. Nevertheless, Attic influence on the text remains limited, visible mostly in syntax, and much less in morphology and phonetics.[35] Regardless of potential influences, the features attested in this variety remain unique within the Doric family, as they are not documented anywhere else, indicating that a Doric dialect was not imported, but proper to Macedon.[5][18]
Significance
The discovery of the Pella curse tablet, according to Olivier Masson, substantiates the view that the ancient Macedonian language was a form of North-West Greek:[36]
Yet in contrast with earlier views which made of it [i.e. Macedonian] an Aeolic dialect (O. Hoffmann compared Thessalian) we must by now think of a link with North-West Greek (Locrian, Aetolian, Phocidian, Epirote). This view is supported by the recent discovery at Pella of a curse tablet (4th cent. BC), which may well be the first 'Macedonian' text attested [...] the text includes an adverb "opoka" which is not Thessalian.
Of the same opinion is James L. O'Neil's (University of Sydney) presentation at the 2005 Conference of the Australasian Society for Classical Studies, entitled "Doric Forms in Macedonian Inscriptions" (abstract):[37]
A fourth‐century BC curse tablet from Pella shows word forms which are clearly Doric, but a different form of Doric from any of the west Greek dialects of areas adjoining Macedon. Three other, very brief, fourth century inscriptions are also indubitably Doric. These show that a Doric dialect was spoken in Macedon, as we would expect from the West Greek forms of Greek names found in Macedon. And yet later Macedonian inscriptions are in Koine avoiding both Doric forms and the Macedonian voicing of consonants. The native Macedonian dialect had become unsuitable for written documents.
Professor Johannes Engels of the University of Cologne argues that the Pella curse tablet provides evidence to support that Macedonian was a North-West Greek dialect:[25]
Another very important testimony comes from the so-called Pella curse tablet. This is a text written in Doric Greek and found in 1986 [...] This has been judged to be the most important ancient testimony to substantiate that Macedonian was a north-western Greek and mainly a Doric dialect.
Lamont (2023) notes that the discovery of the tablet supports the view that the Macedonian language was a variety of Northwest Doric. Besides that, the tablet provides significant cultural insight, as it suggests that the Macedonians were familiar with Greek social and ritual practices well before Philip II conquered the southern Greek mainland and exposed his kingdom to wider Greek influence.[29]
See also
Notes
- ^ The name is attested in the genitive: Διονυσοφῶντος, as well as the dative, and the accusative case.
- ^ The name 'Thetima' is a Doric variation of the Attic Greek: Θεοτίμη Theotimē 'she who honors the gods'.[10]
- ^ She writes in Doric: παρκαττίθεμαι (parkattithemai) μάκρωνι καὶ [τοῖς] δαίμοσι. In Attic, παρκαττίθεμαι would be written παρακατατίθεμαι (parakatatithemai) instead.[11]
- ^ The adjective ἐρήμα erēma is a variation of ἐρήμη erēmē and Attic ἔρημος erēmos lit. 'lonely, desolate'
References
- ^ Lamont 2023, p. 121; Engels 2010, p. 95; Fortson 2010, p. 464; Bloomer 2005, p. 195; Fantuzzi & Hunter 2004, p. 376; Voutiras 1998, p. 25
- ^ Voutiras 1993.
- ^ Van Beek 2022, p. 191; Masson 2014, p. 483
- ^ Crespo 2023, pp. 70, 73.
- ^ a b c d Crespo 2023, p. 70.
- ^ Lamont 2023, p. 121; Brixhe 2018, pp. 1862–1867; Masson 2014, p. 483; Méndez-Dosuna 2012, p. 145; Engels 2010, p. 95; Meier-Brügger 2003, p. 28; Masson & Dubois 2000, p. 292; Hammond 1993
- ^ Masson 2003, pp. 905–906: "we must now think of a link with North-West Greek (Locrian, Aetolian, Phocidian, Epirote). This view is supported by the recent discovery at *Pella of a curse tablet (4th century BC) which may well be the first 'Macedonian' text attested"
- ^ Christesen & Murray 2010, p. 435.
- ^ a b Hall 2014, p. 191.
- ^ O'Neil 2006, p. 194
- ^ O'Neil 2006, p. 195
- ^ Lamont 2023, pp. 122–123.
- ^ a b c Voutiras 1993, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d Lamont 2023, p. 123.
- ^ Damon et al. 2002, p. 239.
- ^ Christesen & Murray 2010, pp. 434–435.
- ^ Christesen & Murray 2010, p. 434.
- ^ a b c O'Neil 2006, p. 197.
- ^ Jordan 2000, pp. 5–46; Curbera & Jordan 2002–2003, pp. 109–128.
- ^ a b O'Neil 2006, p. 196.
- ^ Dubois 1995, pp. 190–197.
- ^ a b Brixhe 2018, p. 1864.
- Perseus Project.
- ^ Jordan 2000, p. 13
- ^ a b Engels 2010, p. 95.
- ^ a b Brixhe 2018, p. 1863.
- ^ Foxhall 2020.
- ^ a b Van Beek 2022, p. 191.
- ^ a b Lamont 2023, p. 121.
- ^ Crespo 2023, p. 70; Engels 2010, p. 95; Voutiras 1993, pp. 46–47
- ^ Van Beek 2022, p. 191; Masson 2014, p. 483
- ^ Masson 2014, p. 483.
- ^ Brixhe 2018, pp. 1863–1864; O'Neil 2006, pp. 194–196; Voutiras 1993, pp. 46–47
- ^ Crespo 2023, p. 70; O'Neil 2006, pp. 195–196
- ^ Voutiras 1993, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Masson 2003, pp. 905–906.
- ^ Scientific Analysis of the Pella Curse Tablet by James L. O'Neil, (University of Sydney)
Sources
- Bloomer, Martin (2005). The Contest of Language: Before and Beyond Nationalism. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 0-268-02190-2.
- Brixhe, Claude (2018). "Macedonian". In Joseph, Brian; Klein, Jared; Wenthe, Mark; Fritz, Matthias (eds.). Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics. Vol. 3. De Gruyter. ISBN 9783110542431.
- Crespo, Emilio (2023). "Dialects in Contact in the Ancient Kingdom of Macedon". In Cassio, Albio Cesare; Kaczko, Sara (eds.). Alloglо̄ssoi: Multilingualism and Minority Languages in Ancient Europe. ISBN 978-3-11-077968-4.
- Christesen, Paul; Murray, Sarah (2010). "Macedonian Religion". In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.). A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Malden, MA: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-1-4051-7936-2.
- Curbera, Jaime; Jordan, David (2002–2003). "Curse Tablets from Pydna". Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies. 43 (2). Duke University: 109–128. ISSN 0017-3916.
- Damon, Cynthia; Miller, John F.; Myers, K. Sara; Courtney, Edward (2002). Vertis in Usum: Studies in Honor of Edward Courtney. München and Leipzig, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-598-77710-8.
- Dubois, Laurent (1995). "Une Tablette de Malediction de Pella: S'Agit-il du Premier Texte Macédonien". Revue des Études Grecques. 108: 190–197. .
- Engels, Johannes (2010). "Macedonians and Greeks". In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.). A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Malden, MA: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-1-4051-7936-2.
- Fantuzzi, Marco; Hunter, Richard L. (2004). Tradition and Innovation in Hellenistic Poetry. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83511-9.
- Fortson, Benjamin W. (2010). Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction (Second ed.). West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley and Sons Limited. ISBN 978-1-4051-8896-8.
- Foxhall, Lin (2020). "In Private: The Individual and the Domestic Community". In Cairns, Douglas (ed.). A Cultural History of the Emotions in Antiquity. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350091641.
- ISBN 0-19-814927-1.
- Hall, Edith (2014). Introducing the Ancient Greeks, From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9781448161621.
- Jordan, D. R. (2000). "New Greek Curse Tablets (1985–2000)". Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies. 41. Duke University: 5–46. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- Lamont, Jessica (2023). In Blood and Ashes, Curse Tablets and Binding Spells in Ancient Greece. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780197517789.
- Masson, Olivier; Dubois, Laurent (2000). Onomastica Graeca Selecta. Geneva, Switzerland: Librairie Droz. ISBN 2-600-00435-1.
- Masson, Olivier (2003) [1996]. "Macedonian Language". In Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony (eds.). ISBN 0-19-860641-9.
- Masson, Olivier (2014). "Macedonian language". In Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther; Hornblower, Simon (eds.). The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191016769.
- Meier-Brügger, Michael (2003). Indo-European Linguistics. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-017433-5.
- Méndez-Dosuna, Julián (2012). "Ancient Macedonian as a Greek dialect: A critical survey on recent work (Greek, English, French, German text)". In Giannakis, Georgios K. (ed.). Ancient Macedonia: Language, History, Culture. Centre for Greek language. ISBN 978-960-7779-52-6.
- O'Neil, James L. (2006). "Doric Forms in Macedonian Inscriptions". Glotta. 82. Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht: 192–210.
- Van Beek, Lucien (2022). "Greek". In Olander, Thomas (ed.). The Indo-European Language Family. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108499798.
- Voutiras, Emmanuel (1998). Dionysophōntos Gamoi: Marital Life and Magic in Fourth Century Pella. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: J.C. Gieben. ISBN 90-5063-407-9.
- Voutiras, Emmanouel (1993). "A dialectal curse tablet from Pella" [Ένας διαλεκτικός κατάδεσμος από την Πέλλα]. In Katsanis, Nikolaos (ed.). Hellenic Dialectology (in Greek). Vol. 3. Thessaloniki: Αφοί Κυριακίδη. pp. 43–48. ISBN 960-343-226-1.
Further reading
- Brixhe, Claude; Panayotou, Anna (1994). "Le Macédonien". In Bader, Françoise (ed.). Langues Indo-Européennes. Paris, France: CNRS. pp. 205–220. ISBN 978-2-27-105043-4.