Through a close study of the Greco-Egyptian magical papyri (working manuals of Egyptian ritual experts), this seminar opens a window on the beliefs, techniques and material culture of magic in the late ancient world. We will be especially attentive to questions relating to the materiality of the substances and artefacts employed in ancient magic—including scribal technologies, divinatory devices, magical artefacts (e.g. curse tablets and protective gemstones) and sacrificial offerings. Why were certain types of matter perceived as inherently powerful, and how did conceptions of magical power relate to wider cultural understandings of the natural world?
