My Ancient World Learning 

Curses in the Roman World - available Autumn 2025.

Course Number: MAWL SC001
Course Tutors:  Joanna O’Neill. 

Not all Roman history is about emperors and battles. Beneath the surface, everyday people who were heartbroken, betrayed, or powerless  turned to magic and the gods.

In this unique short course, you'll explore how Roman curses offer intimate, emotional insight into ancient life. From love spells to revenge rituals, you'll examine real curse tablets, sacred rituals, and how these ancient voices still speak to us today.
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Structure of course

Teaching style: Recorded mini-lectures
Mode of delivery:
Online
self-paced
Duration:
Available in full from 16th June 2025

About this course

What will I get?

  • 7 engaging video mini-lectures
  • Full eBook series to accompany each topic

  • Printable worksheets for reflection and analysis
  • Glossary + cultural primer for context
  • Self-paced access. No deadlines, no pressure

How long will it take?
Around 7–9 hours total, recommended over 3 weeks
You’re free to go faster or slower. All content is downloadable and yours to keep.

 Course Outline

Across three themed weeks, you'll journey through the world of ancient Roman cursing — exploring its personal, political, and spiritual power.

✅What curses really meant to Romans, not just superstition, but emotion           and control
✅Rituals and sacred spaces, how curses were crafted, activated, and                 buried
✅Real case studies  from sacred springs to household vengeance
✅Curses as social protest,  how marginalised voices used magic for justice
✅Roman law and magical crime, what made a curse illegal (or not)
✅How curses echo in modern films, fiction, and online witchcraft                           communities
✅The truth behind the myths,  separating Hollywood horror from historical         reality

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