Classics Colloquium
The figure of the magician, sorcerer or practitioner who wrote, owned and used the magical formularies is difficult to portray. Discussions around whether they were priests, commoners, wandering healers or men or women have been a focal point within academic discourse in past decades. An alternative perspective on these individuals can be gained by examining their possessions and the paraphernalia they are described as using. In order to execute their feats, magicians required not only a certain set of skills/powers but also a range of stuffs and instruments. This paper will discuss the tools, both material and immaterial, employed by sorcerers in their practice. Such tools included herbs for the creation of potions, pots, clay, wax, writing implements, and other accoutrements. However, sorcerers were also believed to possess other immaterial abilities, such as memory, invisibility, and the capacity to invoke a spiritual assistant.
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