Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical, Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Mind & Body
Cover of the book Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome by Prof Lindsay C. Watson, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Prof Lindsay C. Watson ISBN: 9781350108950
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: May 2, 2019
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic Language: English
Author: Prof Lindsay C. Watson
ISBN: 9781350108950
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: May 2, 2019
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Language: English

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 - 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-called Greek 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 of defixio (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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 - 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-called Greek 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 of defixio (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.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Samurai Commanders (2) by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Boys and Girls Together by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Titans by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book This Love Is Not for Cowards by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Global Piracy by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Tibetan Democracy by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Victorian Tales: The Sea Monsters by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book The Hindenburg Line 1918 by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Eat Like a Local LONDON by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book German Infantryman (3) Eastern Front 1943–45 by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book The Great Islamic Conquests AD 632–750 by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Concentration and Power in the Food System by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Operation Cobra 1944 by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
Cover of the book Pocket Guide to Trees and Shrubs by Prof Lindsay C. Watson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy