Oh, those ancient Greek pranksters …
And this is not at all "Schaub money attacked you !!!" or "Schaub you lived like that!.." Greek archaeologists finally managed to decipher the inscriptions on ancient tablets found back in 2003 (it is fair to ask, what did they do with them all this time?) It turns out that even 2400 years ago with competitors in businesses were brutally reprimanded, sending the most terrible curses on their heads. Yes, yes, "Dog's Ear" is not "Ear from a Herring" from the legendary picture "Vabank" for you!
A stack of five lead tablets pierced with an iron nail was found by Greek archaeologists back in 2003. They lay in the grave next to the cremated remains of a young woman. On four tablets there were lines of some text, the fifth was empty.
The site of the find matters: excavations were carried out in the Athenian region of New Faliron, near the port of Piraeus.
The lead tablets were sent to storage in the Piraeus Archaeological Museum, where they lay for more than ten years in "confinement" until Jessica Lamont, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, a specialist in epigraphy, became interested in them.
It turned out that the tablets dated to the beginning of the 4th century BC contain carefully and even poetically (in places with hexameters, like Homer's!) Curses addressed to eight people - four married couples, owners of local taverns. The goal of the venture is to eliminate business competitors, “nothing personal”.
As "executors", the customer calls on Hecate, Hermes and Artemis in their chthonic essence, that is, in the hypostasis of the gods of the underworld. Why Hermes and Hecate is understandable, while Artemis is usually associated with wildlife and fertility, she was considered the patroness of young virgins, married women, women in labor … However, the customer of the tablets refers to a different, destructive hypostasis of Artemis, associated with the kingdom of the dead and eternal darkness.
“Frankly, we very rarely come across such detailed and beautifully stated curses. They are beautiful, if you forget about their sinister meaning!”- winking, says Lamont.
Promotional video:
The spell on the last tablet sounds especially elegant: "I will bind you with such bonds, Demetrios, which are not stronger, I will knock out kynotos in your tongue."
Where kynotos is the "dog's ear". In the jargon of ancient Greek dice players, "dog's ear" meant a minimal or obviously losing combination of points. It can be assumed that the customer of the curses wished the competitors the fate of losers, losers, “losers”.
And you say that the ancient Greeks did not know how to swear! Actually, we will never know how the gods reacted to the exquisite style of address, whether the customer received satisfaction, whether the "dog's ear" jumped in the language of Demetrios and his colleagues in the profession. All died long ago. And only the spirit of revenge against competitors proved its vitality …