Material: Lead
Date: 2nd-4th century A.D.
Dimensions: 6.83 × 6.83 × 12.7 cm
Findspot: Roman baths (Bath, UK), in the Roman reservoir under the King’s Bath
Ancient name of modern Bath: Aquae Sulis
Current Location: Roman Baths Museum, Bath, UK, inv. no. batrm 1983.14.b.1
The meaning of the term “Vilbia” is debated among scholars. Some think it is a female name, potentially of Celtic origin, and that the plea concerns the kidnapping or taking away of a girl or a woman. Other scholars argue that “Vilbia” is a Celtic term for a specific tool rather than a Celtic name. Both interpretations are difficult to imagine in contexts of a Roman bath as the crime scene of the theft.
In opposite to most curse tablets and prayers for justice, this tablet was not folded.
The Bath tablets commonly address items that wore stolen, usually clothes that were taken off before bathing.
You can find a translation with an extensive commentary, notes and bibliography on the website of “Roman Inscriptions of Britain” (RIB online). The RIB online website was created by Scott Vanderbilt as part of the European Research Council-funded project “LatinNow”. The project’s mission is to make every published inscription from Roman Britain accessible to all.
Link: https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/154