#hellenistic magic

—LIBRI OCCULTAE: ARCANA MUNDI

Back in late spring, I closed out a three-month promo period on Kindle Unlimited with Georg Luck's Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds. I was a little wary of this book at first because worthwhile academic texts are generally not available on Kindle Unlimited (that honor seems to have been reserved for Everand), but I'm glad I gave this behemoth a shot.

This is a great resource for anyone interested in ancient Greek/Roman magic (the emphasis being on Hellenistic magic, of course).

At various times, Roman and Hellenistic culture, often including the dominant religion, permitted use of amulets and talismans, certain methods of divination, and curses to obtain justice and/or vengeance. Mainstream medicine often included spells. On the other hand, attempts to control other people, to influence a particular destiny though magic, and divination by necromancy were regarded as illegitimate practices by the authorities, and there are known cases in which practitioners of these activities were prosecuted. 

See: 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/guide-ancient-magic-180960129/

https://www.ancient.eu/article/926/magic-in-ancient-greece/

http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/roman-magic-amulets-bullae-lunulae.html