The Amathous Curse Tablets (British Museum inv. 1891, 4-11) and PGM VII (British Library Pap. 121): Evidence for Ritual Exchange Between Egypt and Cyprus

Abstract

Discovered in the late 19th century and subsequently acquired by the British Museum, the cache of over 200 lead and selenite tablets from Cyprus is one of the largest archives of curses from antiquity. Three features of the cache suggest connections with magical texts known from Egypt, including PGM VII: references to a «muzzling deposit», the use of charaktêres, and an invocation to Chthonic deities. This paper analyzes these elements to explore the mechanisms by which magical knowledge may have been transmitted in the Mediterranean.