Open Collections

Abstract

This thesis re-examines the 130 inscribed metal sheets from the sacred spring of Sulis Minerva at Bath, traditionally labelled as “curse tablets,” through a practice-based, chaîne opératoire approach. Scholarship has long relied on typological models derived from Greco-Egyptian traditions seen in Greek curse tablets, categorizing such objects primarily by their written components and assuming cross-cultural uniformity. These frameworks obscure the local social structures and specific technological practices underlying the Bath assemblage. By reconstructing each step in the tablets’ creation, from the act of theft, through site selection, material acquisition, inscription, manipulation, vocalization, and deposition, this study situates these artifacts within the lived experiences of locals within Roman Britain. The chaîne opératoire approach identifies the varied sources of theft (bathhouse, domestic, and transactional contexts), explores the economic impact of stolen goods, examines local materials and highlights how sanctuary deposition functioned as an accessible mechanism for retribution in a society with limited access to formal legal systems. The Bath evidence undermines assumptions about formulaic composition, the necessity of professional ritual specialists, and the applicability of the “prayers for justice” category. By looking beyond pre-held notions based on Greco-Egyptian style tablets, this thesis examines the local contexts in which these objects are created. The analysis shows that petitioners acted within local cultural frameworks, using available materials and general community knowledge to produce these tablets without requiring Greco-Egyptian spellbooks or specialist magicians. This bottom-up, practice-focused model offers an alternative to top-down typologies. It emphasizes how technological choices, spatial contexts, and local religious relationships shaped the production and meaning of the Bath tablets. By shifting focus from universal definitions to localized practice, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of inscribed metal sheets across the Roman world and proposes a methodology capable of revealing regional variability currently obscured by typological classifications.