"Charakteres" is the ancient term used for specific signs that were applied in contexts of interaction with higher beings. They are usually referred to as "magical signs" or "Zauberzeichen". The earliest evidence for their application is attested on a curse tablet from Athens dated to the late first cent. CE. Within only a few decades they were spread all over the Roman Empire, from Great Britain to North Africa and Egypt, and from Spain to the Black Sea. One of the fascinating facts of these "magical signs" is that they are still in use today.