Chamalières tablet
| Chamalières tablet | |
|---|---|
Picture by Camille Besse (Bargoin Museum) | |
| Material | Lead |
| Size | 40 mm × 60 mm (1.6 in × 2.4 in) |
| Writing | Roman cursive |
| Created | between 50 BC and 50 AD |
| Discovered | 1971 Chamalières, Puy-de-Dôme, France |
| Present location | Bargoin Museum |
The Chamalières tablet (French: Plomb de Chamalières) is a lead tablet, six by four centimeters, that was discovered in 1971 in Chamalières, France, at the Source des Roches excavation. The tablet is dated somewhere between 50 BC and 50 AD. The text is written in the Gaulish language, with cursive Latin letters. With 396 letters grouped in 47 words, it is the third-longest extant text in Gaulish (the curse tablet from L'Hospitalet-du-Larzac and the Coligny calendar being longer), giving it great importance in the study of this language.
The magical subject matter of the text suggests it should be considered a defixiones (curse) tablet. However, given that it was found at a spa, and that it was accompanied by carvings of bodies and body parts, Meid considers the text to be a prayer by old men for healing their various ailments.