Bøker i International-serien

Il volume presenta i risultati di una ricerca interdisciplinare, condotta attraverso una prospezione archeologica e lo scavo di un sito-chiave, in un territorio montuoso della parte centrale del bacino del Mediterraneo. Il libro si concentra sui risultati dello scavo delle unità stratigrafiche più recenti del riparo sotto roccia del Vallone Inferno di Scillato (Madonie, Sicilia), coprendo un periodo che va dal Neolitico al Medioevo. Il nucleo del libro è costituito dalla presentazione del record archeologico, con capitoli suddivisi secondo un criterio cronologico che descrivono strutture, reperti ceramici, litici, ornamenti personali e macrofauna. L'approccio interdisciplinare ha permesso di integrare i dati provenienti dallo scavo, coinvolgendo diverse discipline, come l'archeobotanica, la chimica analitica e la paleoantropologia. La ricostruzione paleoambientale è stata completata dallo studio della microfauna.The book presents the results of the archaeological excavation in the rock shelter of Vallone Inferno (Sicily), reconstructing the cultural and environmental aspects of a Mediterranean mountainous landscape over the last seven thousand years.

Island Southeast Asia is one of the world's marine biodiversity hotspots. Marine environments with dense concentrations of fauna rich in fatty acid nutrients are thought to have been important to Homo sapiens' subsistence, leading to coastal highway hypotheses for dispersals in the Wallacean and Philippines archipelagos. This monograph provides new data and discussion on human maritime adaptation. Using fish assemblages recovered from sites in the region, it offers large-scale comparisons on a north-south gradient between sites by combining archaeological and ethnographical data with advanced taxonomic and statistical analyses. By reviewing the ecological specificities of each identified taxon, it is believed humans mostly exploited near-shore environments and that inter-site differences are directly related to local environmental disparities, as well as environmental transformations from climate change and sea level variations. The exploitation of specific local environments required the development of adapted fishing techniques, thereby demonstrating the coexistence of highly complex and sophisticated modernity patterns related to marine and coastal adaptation.

Questo studio raccoglie e analizza, per la prima volta, tutte le informazioni archeologiche conosciute su Lucca e il suo ager dal momento della fondazione della colonia latina nel 180 a.C., fino alla conquista longobarda alla fine del VI secolo. Lo studio osserva, analizza e ricostruisce le dinamiche di formazione e trasformazione del paesaggio urbano e rurale di Lucca nel lungo periodo. Utilizzando GIS, analisi spaziali e geostatistica questo libro propone un'analisi storico-archeologica e diacronica del territorio, con una particolare attenzione al ruolo che le interazioni tra umani e ambiente hanno svolto nella formazione e nell'evoluzione dell'insediamento, della società e delle diverse forme economiche sviluppatesi tra età romana e tarda antichità.This book analyses all known archaeological information on Lucca and its ager from the foundation of the Latin colony in 180 BC until the Longobard conquest at the end of the 6th century AD. Using GIS, spatial analysis and geostatistics, it proposes a historical-archaeological and diachronic analysis of the territory.

Habitada desde el Preclásico Medio, Xoclán se desarrolló como centro urbano a partir del Clásico Temprano. El actual parque arqueológico cuenta 52 hectáreas e incluye el área cívico-ceremonial y algunas otras plataformas, mientras que las restantes estructuras que constituyeron parte de la ciudad antigua fueron involucradas en la reciente obra de ampliación de Mérida y muchas han sido destruidas para permitir la construcción de nuevos edificios. A través del presente estudio, fue posible identificar a otros barrios, afuera del parque, que fueron parte del sitio y que se encuentran ahora bajo el asfalto moderno, proponer hipótesis de sus funciones y definir la cronología de desarrollo de la ciudad, llegando - por lo que sea posible - a reconstruir los límites del asentamiento, que alcanzaron al menos un área de 9 kilómetros cuadrados. Finalmente, se presenta un enfoque de lo que pasó después, y de las varias fases de utilizo que afectaron la zona y su patrimonio.Inhabited since the Middle Formative, Xoclán developed as an urban centre from the Early Classic onwards. The current archaeological park covers 52 hectares and includes the civic-ceremonial area and some other platforms, while the remaining structures that constituted part of the ancient city were involved in the recent expansion of Mérida, with many being destroyed to allow for the construction of new buildings. Through this study, it was possible to identify other quarters outside the park that were once part of the site and are now under modern asphalt, to hypothesise the functions of these ancient quarters and to define the chronology of the city's development, reconstructing - as far as possible - the limits of the settlement, which at least had an area of 9 square kilometres. Finally, an approach to what happened afterwards is presented, and to the various phases of use that affected the area and its heritage.

This book uses a cultural ecological approach to explore how prehistoric societies were economically and socially organized to utilize the steppe environment in the southern Mongolian Plateau before the emergence of specialized herding economies in the early and middle Holocene. The research is based on a combination of excavation and survey data from the Ulanqab region of Inner Mongolia.The dynamic land use strategies were examined through the lens of subsistence, mobility, and social integration, based on lithic assemblages, settlement patterns, and other material expressions. The results indicate that although the specifics of subsistence practices changed from the Early Neolithic to the Mid-Late Neolithic/Early Bronze age, people made intensive use of the landscape, adopted semi-sedentary lifeways, and combined hunting-gathering with small-scale farming. It reveals a divergent trajectory of cultural adaptation when compared with the core Monsoon-affected zones of northern China during this time period.

This is a catalogue of all the stone sculptures in the round from Ancient Egypt, kept in the Allard Pierson. It includes about 60 objects from the Predynastic to Greco-Roman periods. These include statues of divinities, royal and private persons, animal figures, and funerary sculpture. A list of abbreviations is provided after detailed introductions. The volume is concluded with extensive indexes, covering divine, royal and private names, titles, geography, materials, key words, and periods. The volume is richly illustrated and will be a useful reference for any scholar interested in Ancient Egyptian sculpture.

This book presents the final report on the excavation and reconstruction of the buildings and kilns at Pantanello. It is accompanied by an extensive analysis and catalog of the finds from the site, including fine grey ware and banded ware, cooking ware, coarse wares, and amphorae of the last two centuries of the Roman Republic and first century of the Imperial period in southern Italy. It is the fullest study yet published of a number of these classes, and also provides evidence for a metalworking industry near the site. Overall, the book contributes to a better understanding of the archaeology of pottery and metallurgical production in Italy and is a valuable resource on the material culture of Greek southern Italy during the Roman period.This is part of a two-part set: ISBN 9781407360997 (Part i); ISBN 9781407361000 (Part ii); ISBN 9781407360898 (Set of both parts).

In China's Metal Age, which began around 2000 BCE, leaded bronze was widely used. The additional lead distinguishes early Chinese bronze objects from unleaded objects used by most other Metal Age communities in Eurasia. This book focuses on the lead question in early China. By combining the geology and material properties with case studies of early metal-using communities, the research challenges the current hypothesis that craftspeople added lead for technological reasons. Instead, it argues that the widespread usage of leaded bronze objects was mainly due to socio-economic factors and interregional interaction. Its broad scope and discussion on research methods make the book of interest to researchers concerned with archaeometallurgy, early China, and prehistoric archaeology.

The 'Woman at the Window' Came from Egypt investigates the origin of ivory plaques found in the Assyrian palaces of Nimrud and Khorsabad from the first millennium BCE. It provides a completely new interpretation of the famous iconography of the 'Woman at the Window'. This collection of ivories, traditionally labelled as 'Phoenician', is thought to have originated from locations across the Levant. However, the Egyptian Nile Delta appears to be a more accurate locale.Pharaohs of the Third Intermediate Period, especially those of the 25th dynasty, may have commissioned them to help legitimize their fragile positions. The book's central thesis may also change our understanding and perception of the Phoenicians: it is customary to situate this Iron Age trading people in the city-states along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, but the Nile Delta's cosmopolitan city communities should also be included. It was in these communities where the hybrid art of the Phoenician ivory carving probably originated.This book will appeal to historians studying Phoenician and Egyptian art, as well as researchers interested in the significance of the ivory panels found in Assyrian palaces.

La presente edición aborda un pequeño proyecto en la Ciudad de México, que intenta ampliar el alcance de los proyectos locales de arqueología de salvamento y proporciona un modelo para que los equipos futuros hagan que su trabajo sea más accesible. La diversidad de los materiales puede ser de utilidad para los interesados en la zona de Azcapotzalco, ya que además de los datos a nivel de excavación; se pone a disposición de lector los análisis de materiales y tablas de distribución de los elementos líticos, vítreos y cerámicos localizados en campo. Esta edición contiene un modesto catálogo de los elementos líticos de época prehispánica y vítreos correspondientes al siglo XIX y XX; así como una amplia muestra cerámica que van desde los fragmentados tiestos que fueron parte de las vajillas burdas para consumo y preparación de alimentos durante las últimas fases Aztecas, pasando por las losas vidriadas, finas, porcelanas y mayólicas del siglo XVI y XVII. Finalmente se presentan diversos elementos constructivos y materiales relacionados con el siglo XIX y la primera mitad del XX. This book presents results from a project in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, and attempts to broaden the reach of local salvage archaeology projects by providing a model for future teams to make their work more accessible. Data on the excavated levels, analysis and distribution tables of lithic, glass, and ceramic materials are made available along with a catalog of lithics from the pre-Hispanic period and glassware from the 19th and 20th centuries. Ceramic samples include fragmented sherds of coarse tableware of the last Aztec phases, through to the fine, glazed porcelain and majolica slabs of the 16th and 17th centuries. Finally, various construction and material elements from the 19th century and early 20th century are presented.

Geographic Information Systems applied to the study of the landscape and territory of Roman times are currently a common practice in historical and archaeological studies. This book analyzes the issue for the Iberian Peninsula as a whole, Spain and Portugal, transcending the current administrative border. In this book, the most innovative methodologies and results for the study of the ancient rural environment in Hispania are shown through a series of selected case studies.Los Sistemas de Información Geográfica aplicados al estudio del paisaje y territorio de época romana son una práctica común actualmente en los estudios históricos y arqueológicos. Este libro analiza la cuestión para la Península Ibérica en conjunto, España y Portugal, trascendiendo la frontera administrativa actual. En este libro, se muestran las metodologías y resultados más novedosos para el estudio del medio rural antiguo en Hispania a través de una serie de casos de estudio seleccionados.

Aegypto Adiecta indaga la provincia d'Egitto sotto gli imperatori giulio-claudii, partendo dalla conquista del paese da parte di Augusto a seguito della battaglia di Azio. Il volume mette in rilievo le principali continuità e le discontinuità rispetto al precedente periodo tolemaico trattando delle forme e le caratterizzazioni dell'autorità imperiale nel contesto delle dinamiche amministrative e fiscali della provincia egiziana romanizzata. Una rilevante appendice documentale comprende le diverse fonti e testimonianze (archeologiche, papiracee, epigrafiche e numismatiche) in lingua geroglifica, greca e latina.Aegypto Adiecta investigates the province of Egypt under the Julio-Claudian emperors, starting with the conquest of the country by Augustus following the Battle of Actium. It highlights the continuities and discontinuities from the previous Ptolemaic period by examining the forms and characterisations of imperial authority in the context of the administrative and fiscal dynamics of the Romanised Egyptian province.A documentary appendix comprised of the various sources and testimonies (archaeological, papyrus, epigraphic and numismatic) is provided in hieroglyphic, Greek and Latin.

The Rochelongue site has yielded a remarkable assembly of mostly metallic objects from both local and foreign provenances. This allows for an investigation into the connectivity in the western Mediterranean through the lens of regional and long-distance maritime trade networks.This research uses an interdisciplinary approach to the archaeological metals assemblage - combining geographic, material culture, and network science - in order to make a more definitive interpretation of the site and its broader effect on maritime connectivity. The investigation utilises a novel approach by conceptualising the site as a more generic 'contact site' (representative of a contact zone), instead of remaining mired in old debates over shipwreck versus ritual deposit. Results based on the interdisciplinary analysis allow for a discussion regarding the inter-regional phenomenon in the Catalonia-Languedoc area. This highlights the role of Indigenous populations in a long-distance trading context, stimulated by sea connectivity.The Rochelongue shipwreck evidences a trans-Mediterranean network of varying intensities, which largely determines the levels of impact on the connected cultures from Iberian Peninsula to Central Mediterranean Sea.

In this book Donald W. Jones presents a framework for how to approach four important topics that have held the attention of historians and archaeologists for decades. He offers intuitive but rigorous introductions to the contemporary economic theory and modelling dealing with agriculture, international trade, populations, and the behavior of aggregate economies. Familiarity with these models can offer nuanced insights into ancient economic behavior in data-poor as well as data-rich environments. Each chapter presents case studies from the literature of antiquity demonstrating how this could work and offering suggestions of topics where these models could be fruitfully explored.

This book - a continuation of the author's previous BAR work "A Categorisation and Examination of Egyptian Ships and Boats from the Rise of the Old to the End of the Middle Kingdoms" (BAR Publishing 2358, 2012) - brings together disparate strands of the study of ships and boats of the Egyptian New Kingdom. It collates previous categorisation systems for these watercraft and presents an overall system for ships and boats. Deck structures, mast and rigging and aspects of hull construction are also classified. This project will be an important addition to knowledge of Ancient Egyptian ships of the New Kingdom, and in combination with the author's previous volume, will be the first work to deal comprehensively with boats and ships throughout all periods of Ancient Egypt.

Seit der 5. Dynastie wird die Geburt eines Kälbchens und dessen Säugung auf den Wandreliefs altägyptischer Gräber dargestellt. Auch Grabbeigaben und Amulette bilden die Geburt ab. Dabei lässt sich ein für Ägypten typisches Brauchtum erkennen, das womöglich älter ist als die Belege selbst es sind. Diese Belege zur Geburt des Kalbes im Alten Ägypten werden hier erstmals typologisiert. Der vorliegende Beitrag vergleicht nun das Felsbild in der Ostwüste, welches eine kalbende und säugende Kuh abbildet, mit den gesammelten Quellen zur Geburt eines Kälbchens und dessen Säugung ausführlich. Wie die so vorgelegte Diskursanalyse zeigt, wurden die Vorstellung von der Geburt der Sonne als Kälbchen und das Verhalten der Hirten bei der Geburt eines Kälbchens im Alten Ägypten miteinander verknüpft. Deshalb hat vermutlich auch die rituelle Rolle, die der König als Sonnenpriester im altägyptischen Tempel spielte, um den Sonnenlauf zu gewährleisten, womöglich pastorale Wurzeln. This book analyses depictions of the shepherd in rock carvings Min 1-12 from the south wall of Wadi Minah, and compiles and categorizes Ancient Egyptian evidence for calving and suckling for the first time.

Religious manuscripts from ancient and early colonial Mexico offer a direct pathway into indigenous worldviews through the uniquely Mesoamerican medium of pictography. During the thousands of years preceding Spanish invasion, a complex calendrical system developed in the region, forming the basic organizing principle of this pictorial language. This book offers new interpretations and insights on both calendrics and the related iconography of Mesoamerican religious manuscripts, based on the author's field work in the Sierra Mazateca in northern Oaxaca. Detailed calendrical analysis is included, along with audio recordings of chants, prayers, and ceremonies available as an online download. The author's novel approach questions accepted notions of divination, chronology, and the dichotomy between ritual and historical time.

The tomb paintings and reliefs of Ancient Egypt constitute a major source of evidence for the historical and cultural reconstruction of this fascinating civilisation, but the compilation and detailed analysis of both the iconographic and textual data contained in such scenes in one volume is seldom undertaken. This book focuses on one of the main themes illustrated - craftsmen at work - and uses an original micro-analytical approach to determine the key conventions of their representation. Industries such as boat building, carpentry, jewellery making, leatherwork, metalwork, sculpture and stone vessel making are examined. Particular emphasis is given to the postures and actions of the figures, their methods, tools and interactions, as well as their clothing, physical features and objects on which they work. A catalogue of scenes, some previously unpublished, is included, together with over 2,000 plans and line drawings, innovative isometric diagrams, text and translation summaries, and appendices.

This volume is the product of the symposium, 'Africa and the Danubian Provinces of the Roman Empire' (July 29-30, 2018), which took place in Timi¿oara and was organized by the National Museum of Banat Timi¿oara, the Center for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Studies (Babe¿-Bolyai University) Cluj-Napoca, and the West University Timi¿oara. One of the keynote speakers was the Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Studies, Prof. Dr Alexandru Diaconescu. Unfortunately, he passed away much too soon during the compiling of this book , and thus, the volume is dedicated to his memory. The chapters present case studies on the Egyptian and African military and civilian presence in the Danubian provinces, the Egyptian and African influences found in the material evidence, religion and magic around the Danube, as well as the presence of the inhabitants of the Danubian provinces in the North African region of the Roman Empire and Egypt. The contributors to this volume examine literary, historical, epigraphic, archaeological, and art historical evidence in order to discuss the cross-pollination of culture and organization within these two regions of the Roman Empire. This book is a useful tool for historians and archaeologists interested in the interactions at the military, social and religious level within the African and Egyptian space of the Roman Empire, Roman Dacia and other Danubian provinces.

This book presents the bows and arrows attributed to the Greenland Thule culture in the archaeological and ethnographic collections of the National Museum of Denmark. It contains a catalogue with comprehensive visual and metric data. Supplemented by material from other collections and written sources accessed through the literature, both regional variability and chronology are discussed. It becomes clear that during the spread and development of the Thule culture, its archery tradition developed into very different regional forms. This process was mainly triggered by resource availability and intra-group communication, or lack thereof. The second focus of the book is on functional analysis and examines the influence of raw material, technology and design on the performance of different bow and arrow types. It becomes clear that archery in Greenland, as in other Arctic regions, was highly complex and reflects specific environments of use. This makes it a primary source for Arctic cultural history.

The rise and fall of microblade technology during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene is not only a part of the panorama of global microlithization, but also a key question linked to human adaptive change in the face of climate fluctuation. This monograph creatively uses Lewis Binford's macroecological approach developed from his book Constructing Frames of Reference (2001) against both interglacial and glacial climate conditions, to provide an explanation of variation and change among late Pleistocene and early Holocene microblade-based industries in northeastern Asia. It uses six case studies to discuss two waves of cultural change linked with issues of the origin of microblade technology and the Palaeolithic to Neolithic transition. These cover the formation and convergence of microblade-based societies (MIS 3 to MIS 2), referring to case studies in Siberia and Northern China, and the development and ultimate divergence of microblade-based societies (MIS 2 to MIS 1), involving case studies in the Japanese Archipelago, Eastern Siberia, Northern China, and the Tibetan Plateau.

This book evaluates the epistemology by which archaeology has translated the architectural record at Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic (6500-5500 BC) sites in central Anatolia into interpretations of social organisation. The first part of the book provides a summary of existing knowledge on the study region, architecture in particular. The second part conducts a content analysis of 284 publications and systematically maps and critiques the archaeological discourse around Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic architecture and social organisation. As a by-product of this discussion, the book also provides an exploration of how people in central Anatolia during this period used architecture to create communities. In the tradition of reflexive archaeology, the main purpose of this book is to critically evaluate past research practices to contribute to their improvement. It seeks to improve the research tools to understand the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic as important transformative time periods in Anatolian prehistory that influenced the further course of southwest Asian and European prehistory, for example by initiating development towards social stratification.

Il libro presenta l'edizione di un gruppo iscrizioni greche tardo-ellenistiche provenienti dalla città di Halaesa Archonidea in Sicilia, comprendente documenti di recente scoperta, alcuni dei quali inediti e altri recentemente pubblicati dall'autore, fra cui spiccano due frammenti superstiti delle perdute Tabulae Halaesinae (IG XIV 352 + SEG IV 45) e il frammento di un contratto di locazione (misthosis), presumibilmente fondiaria. Grazie ad una analisi complessiva dei documenti il volume offre un contributo all'interpretazione e alla comprensione delle Tabulae Halaesinae e fornisce, attraverso i nuovi dati epigrafici, una ricostruzione dello scenario storico-istituzionale nel quale la città di Halaesa, probabilmente intorno all'ultimo quarto del II sec. a.C., ridefinì la sua terra pubblica, istituì un sistema per risolvere i conflitti sulla proprietà delle terre e affittò la terra ai suoi cittadini.This volume contributes a new interpretation and understanding of the Tabulae Halaesinae. It uses fresh epigraphical data to reconstruct how the city of Halaesa, around the last quarter of the 2nd century B.C., resurveyed its public land, established a system to resolve conflicts over land ownership, and leased the land to its citizens.

Questo libro illustra i risultati degli scavi realizzati dal Comune di Roma sull'area del Foro di Traiano fra il 1998 e il 2007. In particolare il volume analizza i dati relativi alla storia del monumento nel medioevo e nell'età moderna. Nella parte iniziale del libro viene presentata una storia del sito, dall'antichità ai nostri giorni, sulla base degli studi e degli scavi sinora realizzati. Nella seconda e nella terza parte sono esposti i ritrovamenti effettuati durante le campagne di scavo e le conclusioni che è possibile trarre dal loro studio per la conoscenza della topografia medievale dell'area e delle modalità di acquisizione e di gestione del territorio in quel periodo storico. Completano il volume quattro Appendici relative ai dati d'archivio, ai materiali ceramici rinvenuti in una cisterna, a due scarichi di scarti di produzione provenienti da altrettante officine di vasai rinascimentali e all'elenco dei reperti rinvenuti nel corso degli scavi nelle unità stratigrafiche esaminate. This book illustrates the results of the excavations carried out by the Municipality of Rome on the area of the Trajan's Forum between 1998 and 2007. In particular, the volume analyzes data relating to the history of the monument in the Middle Ages and in the modern age. In the initial part of the book, a history of the site is presented, from antiquity to the present day, based on the studies and excavations carried out so far. The second and third parts show the findings made during the excavation campaigns and the conclusions that can be drawn from their study for the knowledge of the medieval topography of the area and the methods of acquisition and management of the territory in that historical period. The volume is completed by four Appendices relating to archival data, ceramic materials found in a cistern, two discharges of production waste from as many Renaissance potters' workshops and the list of finds found during excavations in the stratigraphic units examined.

Archaeologists consider Puerto Rico a key geographical location for categorizing native occupations in the Caribbean. However, lack of funding, minimal focus on petroglyph research, and limited historical records has reduced Puerto Rico's contributions to the broader archaeological conversation. This book hopes to alleviate this issue through its interdisciplinary analysis of the La Mina site, a previously unrecorded petroglyph site near the El Yunque National Forest in Municipio de Naguabo, Puerto Rico. The authors' 2015 fieldwork consisted of a Phase I geological and archaeological survey and the cataloguing of Rex Cauldwell's longitudinal photographic study of the site (2006-2018), both of which included the documentation of dozens of previously unrecorded preTaíno/Taíno glyphs. In 2017-2018, they supplemented the initial fieldwork with additional ethnographic data, focusing on the aftermath of recent natural disasters and cultural unrest in the region.

En este libro se presentan los resultados obtenidos a partir del análisis arqueológico de las huellas de uso documentadas en el material lítico asociado al yacimiento achelense de Thiongo Korongo (1,353±0,35 Ma.) (Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania), así como los datos registrados tras el desarrollo y estudio de la colección de referencia experimental. El objetivo de esta investigación reside en interpretar tanto la gestión tecno-funcional como económica desarrollada por los homininos en el contexto del inicio del Achelense en África Oriental en general y del yacimiento de TK en particular. El conjunto de los resultados ha permitido no sólo contrastar el procesado de carcasas animales con interés nutricional, sino también establecer hipótesis en relación con la gestion de madera y tubérculos. Además, en el conjunto de elementos líticos analizados se incluyen resultados sobre piezas que hasta ahora no habían sido valoradas como artefactos (un fragmento de placa y un chunk). This book presents results obtained from the archaeological analysis of use traces documented in the lithic material associated with the Acheulean site of Thiongo Korongo (1,353±0,35 Ma.) (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania), as well as the data recorded after the development and study of the experimental reference collection. The aim of this research is to interpret both the techno-functional and economic management developed by hominins in the context of the early Acheulean in East Africa in general and the TK site in particular. The results have made it possible not only to contrast the processing of animal carcasses with nutritional interest, but also to establish hypotheses in relation to the management of wood and tubers. In addition, the set of lithic elements analysed includes results on pieces that until now had not been assessed as artefacts.

Defixiones, also known as curse tablets, are one of the most revealing sources for ancient magico-religious practices. Born of rancour, anger, desire, love, envy, or just out of desperation, curse tablets were a strategy for obtaining 'individual justice' for those who could not accomplish their purposes through the available means, due to a lack of knowledge, power or legal/economical resources. In this volume, the reader will find a detailed catalogue that discusses 535 curse tablets written in Latin and a wide range of local languages. The catalogue is preceded by a full introduction in which the main features of these inscriptions are discussed together with leading scholarship. Such a detailed yet global study of these texts sheds light on various aspects of curses that vary on a regional basis, thus showing how this magico-religious technology was not only adopted but also adapted in new and creative ways by the local populations throughout the Roman West.

Defixiones, also known as curse tablets, are one of the most revealing sources for ancient magico-religious practices. Born of rancour, anger, desire, love, envy, or just out of desperation, curse tablets were a strategy for obtaining 'individual justice' for those who could not accomplish their purposes through the available means, due to a lack of knowledge, power or legal/economical resources. In this volume, the reader will find a detailed catalogue that discusses 535 curse tablets written in Latin and a wide range of local languages. The catalogue is preceded by a full introduction in which the main features of these inscriptions are discussed together with leading scholarship. Such a detailed yet global study of these texts sheds light on various aspects of curses that vary on a regional basis, thus showing how this magico-religious technology was not only adopted but also adapted in new and creative ways by the local populations throughout the Roman West.