Syllabus ñ Ancient Magic

Classical Studies 645

ANCIENT MAGIC

Professor Radcliffe G. Edmonds III

Office: Thomas 245

Office Phone: 526-5046

redmonds@brynmawr.edu

Carpenter B13

W 2:00-4:00 + translation session

to be scheduled

Office Hours: MF 1:30-2:30

or by appointment

Required Texts:

Apuleius, Lucius, The Golden Ass (trans. P. G. Walsh)

Betz, Hans D. edt trl , The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation (PGM)

Faraone, Christopher A. edt , Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic & Religion

Gager, John G. edt , Curse Tablets & Binding Spells from the Ancient World

Graf, Fritz , Magic in the Ancient World

Luck, Georg , Arcana Mundi: Magic & the Occult in the Greek & Roman Worlds

Recommended Texts:

Ankarloo and Clark, Magic and Witchcraft in Europe: Greece and Rome

Barton, Tamsyn, Ancient Astrology

Faraone, Christopher A., Ancient Greek Love Magic

Mauss, Marcel, A General Theory of Magic

Course Description:

Bindings and curses, love charms and healing potions, amulets and talismans - from the simple spells designed to meet the needs of the poor and desperate to the complex theurgies of the philosophers, the people of the Greco-Roman World made use of magic to try to influence the world around them. In this course we shall examine the magicians of the ancient world and the techniques and devices they used to serve their clientele. We shall consider ancient tablets and spell books as well as literary descriptions of magic in the light of theories relating to the religious, political, and social contexts in which magic was used.

Course Requirements:

Class participation:

Participation, of course, includes attendance, since you cannot participate if you are not in class. If, for some reason, you cannot attend class, please inform me in advance. Each student should be prepared to translate, discuss, and answer questions on the material covered in the lesson for the week. Coming prepared with questions on the material is even better than coming with answers to the basics. If, for some reason, you cannot prepare for class, please attend anyway - you will be better prepared for the next class.

One or more students will be selected to lead off the discussion on specific readings for each class, but every student should be prepared to contribute to the discussion. There will be an extra translation section scheduled to focus upon the readings for each week in Greek (marked in bold on the syllabus). All readings not in the required textbooks will be available online in the Bryn Mawr electronic reserves at: http://trires.brynmawr.edu/coursepage.asp?cid=86. The magic word that allows the initiate access to the readings is: cstsb645. The readings can be reached directly from the online version of the syllabus at: http://www.brynmawr.edu/classics/redmonds/csts645.html. Since so much material will be on electronic reserves for this class, students should NOT print out all of the reserves. The advantage of the electronic format is its compact portability; printing reams of paper is bulky and bad for the printers. Please print only those articles you need for class discussions.

Written Assignments:

There will be two short written assignments designed for the students to demonstrate their understanding of specific materials covered in class. The final paper will be the major requirement for the course. This paper should be a lengthy (15-25 pages) research paper on a specific topic related to the course. Students should select a topic and discuss it with me before the middle of the semester. Students will give a brief (5-10 minute) presentation of their research in the last week of class, and a rough draft will be due at this time. The final paper will be due before the end of exam period.

Week I - Introduction – Issues of Definition

Topics:

course introduction

definition of magic

magic vs. religion, magic vs. science

instrumental and symbolic action

ancient contexts of magic

Readings:

Graf, ch. 1-2

Gager, Introduction

Bibliography

Week II - The World of Ancient Magic

Topics:

societies of the ancient Mediterranean world

magic and mystery – the lure of magic

types of magic

practitioners of magic, victims of magic

Readings:

Graf, ch. 1-2

Gager, Intro., ch. 8

Apuleius, Metamorphoses (esp.ch. 1-3, 9-10)

Mauss, General Theory of Magic, pp. 44-90

Smith, Trading Places

Versnel, Some Reflections on the Relationship

Frazer, Sympathetic Magic

Tambiah, Form and Meaning of Magical Acts

Phillips, In Search of the Occult

Bibliography

Week III - Curses – Binding Spells for All Occasions

Topics:

competition and cursing

athletic contexts

legal contexts

binding and harming

Readings:

Graf, ch. 5

Gager, ch. 1, 3-6

Magika Hiera ch. 1-3

PGM V 304-69, VII 390-3, VII 394-5, VII 396-404, 417-22, VII 423-28, VII 429-58, IX 1-14, X36-50 XXXVI 1-34, XXXVI 35-68, XXXVI 231-55, and LVIII

Supplementum Magicum nos. 53, 55, 56

Bibliography

Week IV - Love Charms

Topics:

gender and sex

male vs. female subjects and objects in erotic spells

sex and violence

Readings:

Faraone, Ancient Greek Love Magic

Magika Hiera, ch. 8

Graf, ch. 6

Gager, ch. 2

Luck #4, 8

PGM IV 296-466, IV 1496-1595, IV 1596-1715, IV 1716-1870, IV 1870-1927, IV 1928-2000, IV 2000-2125, IV 2441-2621, IV 2622-2707, IV 2708-2966, VII 300a-310, VII 459-77, VII 862-918, XVI 1-75, XVIIa, XXXII 1-19, XXXIIa 1-25, XXXVI 69-101, XXXVI 102-33, XXXVI 134-160, XXXVI 187-210, XXXVI 295-311, XXXVI 333-360, XXXVI 361-371

Supplementum Magicum nos. 37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 46-51, 58, 63, 64,

Greek Magical Amulets nos. 58, 60

Bibliography

Defixio Assignment

Week V - Healing and Protection

Topics:

defense against the dark arts

amulets and antidotes

repairing and healing

thanks before and after

Readings:

Magika Hiera, ch. 4-5

Gager ch. 7

Luck # 40-49

PGM IV. 3007-86, VII 193-221, 260-71, 311-18 and 579-90, XX, XXIIA 1-27, XXXIII.1-25, XLIII 1-27, LXX

GMPT (pdm) xiv. 554-626, LXXXVI 1-2, LXXXIX, CXIV, and CXV

Supplementum Magicum nos. 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 18

Greek magical Amulets nos. 2, 4, 7, 11, 13, 24, 27, 37, 46, 38,

Bibliography

Week VI - Prayer and Magic

Topics:

thanks before and after

supplication and coercion

relationships with divine powers

Readings:

Graf ch. 7

Magika Hiera, ch. 7(+ texts: PGM IV.2785-2879, VIII.1-26, VII.756-94, XVIIb, VII.668-85, V.392-423, Sappho Frag. 1)

Depew, Reading Greek Prayers

Tambiah, The Magical Power of Words

PGM I.262-347; Homer, Iliad I.33-51; Hesiod, Theogony 535-557; Hesiod Works and Days 320-340; Homer, Odyssey xiv.418-436; Isaeus 8.15-16, Pausanias V.15.3-12; Orphic Hymns 17 to Poseidon, 3 to Night

Bibliography

Week VII –Break

Week VIII - The Magician’s Craft

Topics:

collections of spells - PGM

handbooks and magicians

magician’s apprentice; Thessalos of Trales

Greeks and Egyptians – social contexts

Readings:

Graf, ch. 4

Betz, Introductions

Brashear - ANRW, part I

Thessalos of Tralles, De virtutibus herbarum

Smith, J.Z., The Temple and the Magician

Ritner, R.K.,Egyptian Magical Practice under the Roman Empire

Moyer, Ian, Thessalos of Tralles

Lucian, Lover of Lies

PGM I 1-42, IV 1-25, IV 26-51, IV 52-85, IV 154-285; and XIII 1-343, 344-645, 646-734, 735-1077

Bibliography

Week IX - Divination

Topics:

divination in society

magician and client

mechanics of divination

Readings:

Luck #72-93, 50, 52, 57-8, 7

Graf, Magic and Divination

Turner, Divination as a phase in a social process

PGM I 1-41, I 262-347, II 1-64 II 65-184, III 187-262, III 263-75, III 282-409, III 424-66, IV 930-1114, IV 3086-3124, IV 3209-3254, VII 319-34 VII 335-47 VII 348-358 VII 359-69, VII 540-78, VII 664-85, VII 703-726, VII 727-739, VII 740-55, VII 795-845,VII 1009-16, VIII 64-110.

Supplementum Magicum nos. 65, 66

Bibliography

Week X - Astrology

Topics:

astrology as divination

astrology as cosmology

astrology and society

Readings:

Luck #97-118

Barton, Ancient Astrology, ch. 4 & 5

Gordon, Quaedam Veritatis Umbrae

Konstan, Evidence from Divination

Firmicus Maternus

Dorotheus Sidonius

Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos

Plato, Timaeus 38e-39e

Assorted Horoscopes

Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos 1.1-1.2, 1.4;

Stobaeum Hermeticum VI

Vettius Valens, Anthologiarum libri ix, 219.25-221.12, 288.20-289.33

Bibliography

Astrology Assignment

Week XI - Demonology

Topics:

demonology, philosophy, and the soul

uses of demons

hierarchies of demons

Readings:

Luck # 51, 59-63, 67-70

Smith, Towards Interpreting Demonic Powers

Sfameni Gasparro, Daimon and Tuche

Apuleius, On the God of Socrates

Plutarch, On the Genius of Socrates

Plutarch, On the Face in the Moon

Plato, Symposium, 201e-203a; Plato, Phaedrus 242bc; Plato, Apology of Socrates 40ac; Plato, Phaedo 107d-108c; Plato, Cratylus 397e-398c; Plutarch, De Genio Socratis 588c-594a