Living and Cursing in the Roman West - by Stuart McKie (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"The strength of McKie's analysis is his reluctance to engage in more detailed taxonomy and his insistence that each example needs to be examined sui generis ... Offers a stimulating insight into the lives of ordinary citizens." --Classics for All

"This is a very full and detailed treatment of curse tablets in the western Roman Empire, supported by a large catalogue of texts for reference. McKie emphasises his modern, 'anthropological' approach to their study as documents of social relations in the Roman world, and offers an imaginative but convincing reconstruction of their use and context." --Roger Tomlin FSA, Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK

"McKie presents an extremely interesting overview of the physical experience of cursing, from the acquisition of a blank tablet through to its deposition ... The highlight of the book is the analysis of the relationship between the individual who was responsible for the creation of the curse and the victim. McKie illustrates the importance of this relationship, which has often been overlooked in previous discussions." --Current World Archaeology

About the Author