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Histories of Northamptonshire
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Inscribed Roman Tile with Magical Symbols

Roman 43 - 410 CE Roman and Early Medieval

An inscribed stone tile found at Towcester dates to the Roman period. The symbols are not Latin or Greek but may be magical symbols.

Roman stone tile with inscribed symbols © NMAG
Roman stone tile with inscribed symbols
Drawing of Charaktêres (symbols or characters) on inscribed Roman stone tile found at Towcester © MOLA
Drawing of Charaktêres (symbols or characters) on inscribed Roman stone tile found at Towcester

Inscribed Roman objects from Northamptonshire, mostly in Latin, attest to a degree of literacy in the area. Translating ancient texts can be difficult, but this recently discovered inscribed fragment of stone, found near Towcester is particularly mysterious. The three columns of repeated symbols are not Greek or Latin letters. They could represent some form of indecipherable tally, or even a casual doodle. However, some of them closely resemble Charaktêres, symbols used within a Greco-Egyptian tradition of magic and ritual practice.

Magical writings from Ancient Egypt feature Charaktêres as part of elaborate spells, designed to provide aid or cause harm. Examples are known from Roman Britain, and a Latin curse tablet was buried in a Roman cemetery in the Towcester area, suggesting some degree of local familiarity with magical rituals. This Towcester inscribed tile is a simpler object - a recycled piece of stone and lacking an accompanying Latin and Greek ritual text. Its meaning remains obscure, but it hints at experimentation with these magical symbols by a local non-specialist, perhaps even illiterate, user hoping to harness the ritual power of writing.

Number 21 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.

Towcester
Contributed by MOLA

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