Living and Cursing in the Roman West

Curse Tablets and Society

Stuart McKie (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

296 Seiten

2022
Bloomsbury Academic (Verlag)
978-1-350-10299-6 (ISBN)

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Focusing on the Roman west, this book examines the rituals of cursing, their cultural contexts, and their impact on the lives of those who practised them. A huge number of Roman curse tablets have been discovered, showing their importance for helping ancient people to cope with various aspects of life. Curse tablets have been relatively neglected by archaeologists and historians. This study not only encourages greater understanding of the individual practice of curse rituals but also reveals how these objects can inform ongoing debates surrounding power, agency and social relationships in the Roman provinces.

McKie uses new theoretical models to examine the curse tablets and focuses particularly on the concept of 'lived religion'. This framework reconfigures our understanding of religious and magical practices, allowing much greater appreciation of them as creative processes. Our awareness of the lived experiences of individuals is also encouraged by the application of theoretical approaches from sensory and material turns and through the consideration of comparable ritual practices in modern social contexts. These stimulate new questions of the ancient evidence, especially regarding the motives and motivations behind the curses.

Stuart McKie is an Associate Lecturer at The Open University, UK, and an Honorary Fellow at Durham University, UK. He received his PhD from the Open University and has previously taught at the University of Manchester. With Adam Parker, he edited Material Approaches to Roman Magic (2018).

List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations

Introduction
1 Cursing and Religion in the Roman West
2 Rituals, Gestures, and Movements
3 Motives and Social Frameworks
4 Agency, Power, and Relationships
5 Conclusions

Notes
Appendix: Select Catalogue of Curses
Bibliography
Index

Erscheinungsdatum	28.03.2022
Zusatzinfo	7 bw illus
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 234 mm
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Archäologie
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Altertum / Antike
ISBN-10	1-350-10299-7 / 1350102997
ISBN-13	978-1-350-10299-6 / 9781350102996
Zustand	Neuware