Ancient ‘Magical’ Tablet Found With Spells to Destroy Enemies

A small sheet of lead discovered beneath a town square in the Netherlands has revealed a hidden world of Roman-era magic. The tablet was not an ordinary message or official record, but a carefully prepared ritual object intended to call on supernatural powers against human enemies.

Dating to the second century AD, the artifact contains an unusual ancient Greek inscription invoking deities and demons in an Egyptian style. Researchers have now deciphered enough of its damaged surface to identify four enslaved people connected to the spell—although one crucial question remains unresolved.