Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook / Edition 2

by Daniel Ogden

Overview

In a culture where the supernatural possessed an immediacy now strange to us, magic was of great importance both in the literary and mythic tradition and in ritual practice. Recently, ancient magic has hit a high in popularity, both as an area of scholarly inquiry and as one of general, popular interest. In Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds Daniel Ogden presents three hundred texts in new translations, along with brief but explicit commentaries. This is the first book in the field to unite extensive selections from both literary and documentary sources. Alongside descriptions of sorcerers, witches, and ghosts in the works of ancient writers, it reproduces curse tablets, spells from ancient magical recipe books, and inscriptions from magical amulets. Each translation is followed by a commentary that puts it in context within ancient culture and connects the passage to related passages in this volume. Authors include the well known (Sophocles, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Pliny) and the less familiar, and extend across the whole of Greco-Roman antiquity.

The second edition includes a new preface, an updated bibliography, and new source-passages, such as the earliest use of the word "mage" in Greek" (fr. Aeschylus' Persians ), a werewolf tale (Aesop's Fables), and excerpts from the most systematic account of ancient legislation against magic (Theodosian Code).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195385205
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/24/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	376,325
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	1230L (what's this?)

About the Author

Daniel Ogden is Professor of Ancient History, University of Exeter. He is the author of Greek Bastardy in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods.

Table of Contents

PrefaceAbbreviations1.. Introduction2.. Greek Sorcerers3.. Alien Sorcerers4.. The Rivals of Jesus5.. Medea and Circe6.. Witches in Greek Literature7.. Witches in Latin Literature8.. Ghosts9.. Necromancy10.. Curses11.. Erotic Magic12.. Voodoo Dolls and Magical Images13.. Amulets14.. Magic and the Law15.. Supplementary TextsBibliographiesIndices

Editorial Reviews

"This is a marvelous book, in every sense of the word. For one thing, it is full of marvels—marvelous stories of ghostly and magical happenings.... a reference source that everyone researching this field will be delighted to possess."—Journal of Scientific Exploration

From the Publisher