The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times

The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times PDF Author: Christopher A. Faraone
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812249356
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
Featuring more than 120 illustrations, The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times is an essential reference for those interested in the religion, culture, and history of the ancient Mediterranean.

The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times

The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times PDF Author: Christopher A. Faraone
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812249356
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
Featuring more than 120 illustrations, The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times is an essential reference for those interested in the religion, culture, and history of the ancient Mediterranean.

Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome

Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome PDF Author: Lindsay C. Watson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350108952
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
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 malignant 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.

Roman Festivals in the Greek East

Roman Festivals in the Greek East PDF Author: Fritz Graf
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107092116
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
This book explores how festivals of Rome were celebrated in the Greek East and their transformations in the Christian world.

Ostia in Late Antiquity

Ostia in Late Antiquity PDF Author: Douglas Boin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107024013
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
'Ostia in Late Antiquity' narrates the life of Ostia Antica, Rome's ancient harbor, during the later empire.

Textual Amulets from Antiquity to Early Modern Times

Textual Amulets from Antiquity to Early Modern Times PDF Author: Christoffer Theis
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350254541
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Comparing amulets over time and space, this volume focuses on the function of written words on these fascinating artefacts. Ranging from Roman Egypt to the Middle Ages and the Modern period, this book provides an overview on these artefacts in the Mediterranean world and beyond, including Europe, Iran, and Turkey. A deep analysis of the textuality of amulets provides comparative information on themes and structures of the religious traditions examined. A strong emphasis is placed on the material features of the amulets and their connections to ritual purposes. The textual content, as well as other characteristics, is examined systematically, in order to establish patterns of influence and diffusion. The question of production, which includes the relationships that linked professional magicians, artists and craftsmen to their clientele, is also discussed, as well as the sacred and cultural economies involved.

Ancient Christians and the Power of Curses

Ancient Christians and the Power of Curses PDF Author: Laura Salah Nasrallah
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 100940573X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
This book shows how Ancient Christians both used curses and criticized them in ancient Mediterranean religion and society.

Nemo non metuit

Nemo non metuit PDF Author: Fabrizio Conti
Publisher: Trivent Publishing
ISBN: 6156405429
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 557

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Book Description
"Nemo Non Metuit": Magic in the Roman World has the ambitious goal of discussing some of the fundamental themes in the development of the idea of magic, in all its facets, in the long chronological span of the Roman world, between the 8th century BCE and the 5th century CE. At the same time, this volume is the result of a team effort that has brought together both accomplished scholars and young researchers at the beginning of their scholarly careers. Altogether, this ample work is the result of a synergy that brought together different approaches to the study of Roman magic. The broad content of this volume includes studies on magical gems of Etruscan, Greek and Phoenician background; curse tablets; amulets targeting malaria; erotic spells; the use of veneficia or poisons for magical purposes; judicial prayers in Roman Britain; witches in the literary tradition; the role of women in the matter of magic and divination; the figure of the "Orphic witch" in the age of Augustus; sorcerers and rivals of Jesus Christ; early-Christian sermons against magic and superstition; the fight of late-antique Church against magical powers. By addressing such a diverse spectrum of topics, this volume aims to challenge traditional views and open new paths of interpretation in the reconstruction of a long-term cultural-historical object such as magic in connection to the Roman civilization.

Engraved Gems and Propaganda in the Roman Republic and under Augustus

Engraved Gems and Propaganda in the Roman Republic and under Augustus PDF Author: Paweł Gołyźniak
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1789695406
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 618

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Book Description
This book studies small but highly captivating artworks from antiquity – engraved gemstones. These objects had multiple applications, and the images upon them captured snapshots of people's beliefs, ideologies, and everyday occupations. They provide a unique perspective on the propaganda of Roman political leaders, especially Octavian/Augustus.

Ancient Greek Love Magic

Ancient Greek Love Magic PDF Author: Christopher A. FARAONE
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674036700
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
The ancient Greeks commonly resorted to magic spells to attract and keep lovers. Surveying and analyzing various texts and artifacts, the author reveals that gender is the crucial factor in understanding love spells.

Textual Magic

Textual Magic PDF Author: Katherine Storm Hindley
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226825345
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
An expansive consideration of charms as a deeply integrated aspect of the English Middle Ages. Katherine Storm Hindley explores words at their most powerful: words that people expected would physically change the world. Medieval Europeans often resorted to the use of spoken or written charms to ensure health or fend off danger. Hindley draws on an unprecedented archive of more than a thousand such charms from medieval England—more than twice the number gathered, transcribed, and edited in previous studies and including many texts still unknown to specialists on this topic. Focusing on charms from 1100 to 1350 CE as well as previously unstudied texts in Latin, French, and English, Hindley addresses important questions of how people thought about language, belief, and power. She describes seven hundred years of dynamic, shifting cultural landscapes, where multiple languages, alphabets, and modes of transmission gained and lost their protective and healing power. Where previous scholarship has bemoaned a lack of continuity in the English charms, Hindley finds surprising links between languages and eras, all without losing sight of the extraordinary variety of the medieval charm tradition: a continuous, deeply rooted part of the English Middle Ages.