| Archive name: | Apamea Chariot Curses |
Trismegistos Archive ID: 
Page on the database Trismegistos Collections for the archive. |
|
| Date:
Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. |
451 – 550 |
| Provenance: | Apamea, Syria |
| Trismegistos Place ID:
Page on the database Trismegistos Places for the place of provenance. |
|
| Manuscripts: | KYP M1201 1202 |
| Classification: | These manuscripts may comprise an “archive”, meaning that they were brought together and deposited by an ancient person or persons. |
| Description: | Two lead tablets from Apamea, containing applied curses against the horses of the Blue team. |
| Acquisition: | The manuscripts were found together in situ. They were excavated on 23 September 1970 during the 5th Belgian excavation campaign at Apamea behind the “Edifice au Triclinios”, buried against the precinct of a martyrion (van Rengen 1984: p. 213; Heintz 1998: p. 340). |
| Dating: | The manuscripts are both dated to the sixth century by van Rengen 1984, or late fifth or early sixth century by Gager1992. |
| Language/dialect: | Both texts are written in Greek. |
| Materiality/composition: | Both manuscripts are written on lead sheets, approximately 5 cm wide, and 11.8 (M1201) and 14.1 cm (M1202) high. |
| Content: | Both manuscripts begin with an identical series of 36 kharaktēres, then continue with texts binding the horses of a chariot team, mentioned in SEG XXXIV 1437 (KYP M1201) as the Blue team. Both include a curse against a horse named as Hapsikratēs or Hepsikratēs, probably the same individual (cf. van Rengen p. 213-214). |
| Discussion: | Both were found together, have the same charakteres, possibly the same victim (Apsikrates and Epsikrates) see van Rengen p. 213-214. |
| Bibliography: |
Gager, John G. Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 56-58, no. 6. |
| Edit History: | KD (9/11/2021) |