Ephesus · Curses Carved on the Wall

The streets of Ephesus are paved with marble, and along them remain the signs of shops, public latrines, a library and a brothel; the marks cut into the ground are among the earliest advertisements in the world.

The people here used “curse tablets”: the name of the person to be cursed was cut into a sheet of lead, which was folded and buried in a temple foundation or a well, leaving the matter to the gods.

Archaeologists have recovered hundreds of these tablets. Most of the complaints are small: who stole my cloak, who took my lawsuit.

Historical Mysteries / Izmir · Türkiye / 10th century BC