โ Scribed by Lindsay C. Watson
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Parting company with the trend in recent scholarship to treat the subject in abstract, highly theoretical terms,Magic in Ancient Greece and Romeproposes that the magic-working of antiquity was in reality a highly pragmatic business, with very clearly formulated aims - often of an exceedingly maligant kind.
In seven chapters, each addressed to an important arm of Greco-Roman magic, the volume discusses the history of the rediscovery and publication of the so-calledGreek Magical Papyri,a key source for our understanding of ancient magic; the startling violence of ancient erotic spells and the use of these by women as well as men; the alteration in the landscape ofdefixio(curse tablet) studies by major new finds and the confirmation these provide that the frequently lethal intent of such tablets must not be downplayed; the use of herbs in magic, considered from numerous perspectives but with an especial focus on the bizarre-seeming rituals and protocols attendant upon their collection; the employment of animals in magic, the factors determining the choice of animal, the uses to which they were put, and the procuring and storage of animal parts, conceivably in a sorcerer's workshop; the witch as a literary construct, the clear homologies between the magical procedures of fictional witches and those documented for real spells, the gendering of the witch-figure and the reductive presentation of sorceresses as old, risible and ineffectual; the issue of whether ancient magicians practised human sacrifice and the illuminating parallels between such accusations and late 20th century accounts of child-murder in the context of perverted Satanic rituals.
By challenging a number of orthodoxies and opening up some underexamined aspects of the subject, this wide-ranging study stakes out important new territory in the field of magical studies.
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
Introduction -- The violence of amatory magic -- Defixiones: a recent history -- Appendix: did defixiones work? -- Magic and herbs -- Animals in magic (Patricia Watson) -- Appendix: amulets -- Fictional witches -- Human sacrifice in ancient magic?.
Parting company with the trend in recent scholarship to treat the subject in abstract, highly theoretical terms, Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome proposes that the magic-working of antiquity was in reality a highly pragmatic business, with very clearly formulated aims โ often of an exceedingly malig
This volume brings together new research into the place of witchcraft and magic in Greek and Roman culture and society. Topics covered include the practice of sorcery, the portrayal of witches and sorcerers in classical literature, and legal and philosophical attitudes to magic.
<p><span>Music in Ancient Greece and Rome</span><span> provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of music from Homeric times to the Roman emperor Hadrian, presented in a concise and user-friendly way. Chapters include:<br> * contexts in which music played a role<br> * a detailed discussio