The ancient Greeks believed that a person could seduce others by using magic potions or uttering special incantations. Below is an example of one such spell, inscribed on a lead tablet from Carthage in North Africa around the first century C.E. The person who commissioned or wrote this text made one critical mistake-he forgot to include the name of his lover, thereby neutralizing the spell!

... take away the sleep of that woman until she comes to me and pleases my soul ... lead [BLANK SPACE] loving, burning on account of her love and desire for me ... force her to have sex with me [BLANK SPACE] ... impel, force her to come to me loving, burning with love and desire for me [BLANK SPACE] and drive [BLANK SPACE] from her parents, from her bedroom ... and force her to love me and...