A curse could also warn against stealing or breaking
laws. Between 668 and 627 BCE, the king of Assyria
used a curse to protect his huge library of clay tablets
from thieves. The curse promised the destructive “wrath
and anger” of the gods to anyone who stole his tablets.
That’s some library fine!
THE CURSES ON THE TABLETS IN THE
ANCIENT ASSYRIAN CITY OF NINEVEH ARE
THE EARLIEST KNOWN BOOK CURSE.
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