Arae: The Curse Poetry of Antiquity

A fundamental study of curses from a literary point of view. First the author differentiates the various types of curses found in ancient poetry; this is followed by a chronological examination of the curses, from archaic and classical Greece to Hellenistic and Roman times. The rich Hellenistic material is treated in particular detail, by placing it in its literary context and in relation to defixiones .