'Let all the forces and demons help...' Roman tablet invokes both Christ and Antichrist

'According to my knowledge, such tablets have never been found inscribed in gold anywhere.'

Silver and gold "curse tablet" have been discovered in ancient Roman tombs, some of which call upon both Christ and the Antichrist.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to NBC News, Romans once used the tablets to wish evil on their neighbors, relatives and unrequited loves in the ultimate, and arguably the most expensive, way possible: through magical curses.

The tablets were discovered at the Viminacium archaeological site in eastern Serbia, in what was once the Moesia Superior province.

One of the tablets bore the beginning of an inscription reading tabella defixionis, Latin for, "Let all the forces and demons help that..."

Some were inscribed in Greek but others bear an incomprehensible language and strange symbols.

Researchers believe the strange characters were invented by individuals so the messages could be understood only by gods and demons.

Though there are other tablets discovered around sites of ancient Roman cities, what makes these tablets special is their gold and silver inscribing, when previous finds have been etched in lead.

Chief archaeologist at the Viminacium site, Miomir Korac, explained: "This is a very important archaeological discovery because it shows us how luxurious the life in Viminacium was or how much hope they had in the 'curse tablets' so that they used precious metals.

"According to my knowledge, such tablets have never been found inscribed in gold anywhere. According to Roman customs, gold was never put into graves."

People in that section of what is now known as Serbia, are known for being superstitious, adding to the idea that conversions in this region have always been difficult.

"Opposing deities appear on these tablets, as if invoking both Christ and the Antichrist today, or Christ and pagan gods, and that is weird. This shows us that the process of converting to Christianity was slow."

Experts believe Viminacium was "bigger by a third than Pompeii," Korac explained, saying the city was likely composed of "a mix of different nations."

He explained: "We found that Christians and pagans were buried together and we can conclude that, at the time, they lived in harmony and tolerance" until the city was destroyed by invading Huns and Slavs in the 6th century A.D.

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