Cursing not Just the Body. Some Remarks on a defixio from Nomentum in the Light of the Role of Female Public Slaves in the Roman World*

URBANOVÁ, Daniela and Franco LUCIANI. Cursing not Just the Body. Some Remarks on a defixio from Nomentum in the Light of the Role of Female Public Slaves in the Roman World*. Epigraphica: Periodico internazionale di epigrafia. Sassari: Filli Lega Editori di Faenza, 2019, 81, 2019, 1-2, p. 421-442. ISSN 0013-9572.

Basic information

• Original name: Cursing not Just the Body. Some Remarks on a defixio from Nomentum in the Light of the Role of Female Public Slaves in the Roman World*
• Authors: URBANOVÁ, Daniela (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Franco LUCIANI (380 Italy).
• Edition: Epigraphica: Periodico internazionale di epigrafia, Sassari, Filli Lega Editori di Faenza, 2019, 0013-9572.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 60202 Specific languages
• Country of publisher: Italy
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14210/19:00110828
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Keywords in English: curse tablets; defixio; Nomentum; anatomical curse; Rufa publica; public slaves
• Tags: Nomentum anatomical curse Rufa publica public slaves, rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

An opisthographic lead tablet from Nomentum, dated to the first half of the 1st century CE, contains two anatomical curses against a man (side A) and a female public slave (side B). Whilst the curse against the man aimed to affect not only some parts of his body, but also his social and economic status, the one against the woman describes in detail only pieces of her body, with particular emphasis to her abdomen and genitals. The first section of the paper aims to provide the status quaestionis of the study of this curse tablet, with particular regard to the epigraphic and linguistic aspects of the text. The second section sets out to offer a general overview of the role of female public slaves in the Roman world, which may allow a better contextualization of the meaning of the curse on side B.

Links

• MUNI/A/1269/2018, interní kód MU: Name: Výzkum starověkých jazyků mediteránního prostoru, jejich písemnictví a příslušných kultur, včetně jejich recepce – 2019 (Acronym: Staré jazyky a kultury)

Investor: Masaryk University, Category A