Late Antique Magic

The article explores the apotropaic use of the written word through τhe  inscriptions found on Byzantine amulets, i.e. portable items of a private use, which were addressed to a Christian audience and have a magical character because of their depictions, symbols and inscriptions, which are not derived from the traditions of the official church. The aim of the paper is to investigate the perceptions behind the creation, possession and use of these artifacts and to demonstrate that the written word appearing on these objects has all the characteristics of a ritual language, as it is defined in anthropological and religious studies

"1) A defixio from Olbia (IV century BC) first edited by Tochtas'ev in 2000 on the basis of a drawing by the former owner. The analysis led on the photograph of the original document makes possible an improvement of the reading and shows the presence of several signs carved on the surface of the tablet.
2) First edition of a late antique amulet where the angel Rathanael  - recorded in the apocryphal Testamentum Salomonis - is mentioned for the first time on an inscribed object."

Even though the concept of “magic” has sufffered severe criticism in academic discourse, the category continues to be used in many disciplines. During the last two decades, classicists in particular have engaged in a lively discussion over “magic” and have produced an impressive amount of written output. Given the impossibility of defijining “magic” in a consistent and widely accepted manner, one cannot help but wonder what these scholars are actually talking about. Hence this paper purports (a) to critically review the recent debate on “magic” in Classical Studies, (b) to advocate for abandoning an abstract category of “magic” in favour of a proper analysis of ancient sources and (c) to historicize the term “magic” in Antiquity, that is, to muse on its ancient semantics, functions, and contexts. This methodological approach does not only overcome the major problems inherent in modern definitions of “magic,” but will also yield new insights into terminologies, modes of thought and speech strategies that underlie ancient religious discourses.

Perseus's decapitation of the Gorgon Medusa is suggested as a possible inspiration for the gruesome figurative drawings in PGM XXXVI. The same drawings prefigure an iconographic template later identified with Mars in the talismanic image magic of medieval and Renaissance Europe – one whose magical reputation persisted until very recently.

Throughout history, the Druids have always been seen as sorcerers who had a strong bond with nature. Ancestral knowledge holders within Celtic society, directed all religious activity as the highest authority linked to the gods, practiced human sacrifices and festivals organized as Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugnasad or Samain, etc.. all aspects of which are discussed in this article.

Содержание:
1.  Введение
2.  Истории о драконах и огромных змеях
3.  Змеиные явления и метаморфозы
4.  Гликон
5.  Гений местности (Genius loci)  и Агатодемон (Agathodaimon)
6.  Змеи Юноны Соспиты и Афины
7.  Змеи в мистериальных действах
8.  Змей в митраиумах, Эон, Абраксас и Уроборос
9.  Иалдабаоф и Хнубис
10.  Явления змей при ритуальной практике

PGM XII.270-350, a text prescribing rituals for the creation and use of a magical ring, provides a particularly useful example through which to explore the phenomenon
of miniaturized ritual in the magical papyri of late Graeco-Roman Egypt (as elucidated by Smith 1995). The ritual for creating and consecrating the ring’s gemstone makes it clear that the stone is considered a miniature cult statue. The subsequent “Ouphor” invocation to be performed whenever the ring is used corresponds
in name and function to the Egyptian wp.t-r3 or Opening the Mouth ritual as used in daily temple liturgy. The nature of these ritual miniatures reveals the sophisticated discursive and conceptual level at which the traditional forms of temple
ritual were adapted and redeployed for use in other contexts by members of the Egyptian priestly class in late antiquity.

Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to a variety of material, textual, and literary evidence, the aim of this thesis is to shed light on the realities –rather than stereotypes- of an important aspect of late ancient women’s experience: the use of ritual power. Patterns of gender differentiation in late antique Egyptian magic are investigated and shown to be connected to the particular aims to which numinous powers were employed, aims which were in turn bound up with the social roles expected of each sex. The majority of this study consists of a series of case studies of different types of women’s rituals of power, which emphasize examples of significant trends in ritual iconography, praxis, and context, both those which were typical of late antique Egyptian magic as a whole, and those which were uniquely female in character. The fact that female practitioners came from a wide array of socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds is also addressed.

"How does antique Christianity look if the lens of Cartesian dualism is removed and replaced with an embodied perspective? In responding to this question, this thesis proposes a new way of understanding ‘art’ and religion as integrally linked through ritual in Christian Late Antiquity.

The investigation proceeds via ‘common-sensory archaeologies’ of material evidence. This is a methodology designed to enable interpretation of artefacts in ways not necessarily dependent on the imposition of literary interpretative methods, particularly semiotics. It enables new information to be elicited directly from materials.

The argument addresses ‘magical’ practices and objects, and the ideas underpinning Roman religious practices, before analysing rituals specific to late-antique Christianity, including Holy-Land pilgrimage, saint cult, and the Eucharist. It differentiates rituals that were institutionalised, and those which evolved ‘organically’ among adherents, in order to highlight common underlying impulses.

A picture emerges of the complex and subtle overlap between religions in Late Antiquity, which questions stark differentiations between ‘paganism’ and Christianity. This period’s ‘common sense’ (or, encultured mode of embodiment) is suggested to oscillate between two poles of cosmology – ‘cosmic uniformity’ and ‘infinite materiality’. Central to both perspectives was the need for (embodied) humans to engage ritually with the world through their senses in order to interact with the divine.

By paying attention not just to what Christians thought but also to what they did, it is suggested that certain tensions in our understanding of late-antique culture may be resolved by retracting assumptions of stark Cartesian contrasts between belief/ritual, soul/body, text/material, and Christian/’pagan’. Furthermore, an embodied approach is shown to open avenues not just into elite culture, but also into the popular Christian perspective, by expanding our purview to the lived practice of, rather than just the theological debate surrounding, antique religion."

Code-switching with the Gods volume provides the first comprehensive text edition of the Egyptian language sections of P. Bibliothèque Nationale Supplément Grec. 574 (PGM IV) and analysis of their script, language, and the bilingual spells of which they are part. The magical practices preserved in the PDM and PGM have been published for nearly a century, yet it is only recently that research has focused on investigating the complex relationship between the languages, scripts, and religious traditions they exhibit, as well as the question of who composed, copied, and practiced these spells. Focusing on the bilingual divinations, lust spell, and exorcism of PGM IV, written in the Egyptian and Greek languages - rendered in Old Coptic scripts and the Greek script, respectively - this volume analyses their textual content and ritual mechanics, contextualised among the PDM and PGM, and investigates the potential identities of the magical practitioners of late Roman and Late Antique Egypt. Encompassing the disciplines of Egyptology, Coptology, Papyrology, and Late Antique studies, this volume focuses in particular on the themes of magical practice, bilingualism, script, and the social context of magic in Egypt during the 2nd to 4th centuries CE.

For know the controversial history of the Druids in the Celtic world, will investigate the sources of its origin, through stories of classic texts and medieval legends of Gaul, Britain and Ireland. His role in Celtic society surpassed the religious sphere, covering war, politics, medicine and the law. Almost unknown is the participation of women in this institution.

This paper deals with some questions concerning the iconography, iconology and date of execution of the famous mosaic pavement from Sheikh Zoueide in Sinai, now exibited in the Ismailiya Museum. The author analyses both the mythological mosaic with the representation of various subjects, like Dionysiac procession, Nilotic theme, Hippolytos and Phaedra, and another geometric mosaic. The iconological study of all symbolic elements sheds light on the mentality of Nestor who lived in this house and of other inhabitants of the city.  The author sees the great influence of Egypt probably of Alexandria, in the mosaic's style. He also discusses stylistic problems and suggests a date of its execution in the first half of the 5th century.
On the iconological study of the mosaic see also: M.T. Olszewski, Mauvais œil et protection contre l'envie dans la mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï (IV-Ve siècle), published in: Paunier, D., Schmidt, Ch (ed. by), la Mosaïque gréco-romaine VIII. Actes du  VIIIe Colloque international de la mosaïque antique et médiévale, Lausanne 1997 (2001), pp. 276-301.
M.T.Olszewski, Two Late Antique synonymous mosaics from Sheikh Zuweid (Egypt) and Vinon (France) (translated) / Deux  mosaïques  synonimiques  de l’antiquité tardive: Cheikh  Zouède  (Egypte)  et  Vinon  (France) / Dwie późnoantyczne mozaiki synonimiczne z Szeikh Zued (Egipt) i Vinon (Francja) - (in Polish), Światowit IV-A, 2002, pp. 99-105.

Первая часть статьи посвящена сведениям известным нам о культе Сабазия. Собран археологический материал и  практически все известные источники по данному культу. Вторая часть статьи вводит читателя в религиозную ситуацию поздней римской империи. В ней рассказывается о синкретической направленности мировоззрения римлян, и о магических геммах и их значении.

Object study of a pottery amulet, ostensibly from Israel/Palestine, which came to light in a deceased estate. While it seems to date from Late Antiquity, almost every aspect of this pendant is unexpected. Its shape – a three-armed star – lacks amuletic precedents. Its surfaces bear crude figurative images which seem to have been incised after the clay was fired. On one face, three male anthropomorphic figures – reminiscent of figurae magicae from the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) in their crudeness, disposition and ambiguity – surround a central five-pointed star. On the other face appears another male anthropomorph together with two horned deer or antelopes, two canine or feline predators, and a fish; the man and the animals all seem at peace together. The bucolic scene continues onto one edge thickness, where an additional stag-like beast appears with two more of the predators. The scenes do not conform to known templates, such as the repertoire from magical gems, and resist interpretation. The two other edge thicknesses contain pseudo-inscriptions.

The mosaic from Sheikh Zuweid on the western coast of North Sinai, discovered in 1913, as well as the mosaic brought to light in 1919 at Vinon near Aix-en-Provence in southern France had to wait until the end of the 20th century for scholarly studies to focus again on their iconography, but also their iconological program. It is the reading of this program that one can truly call sensational. The mosaic from Sinai consists of three panels: Hippolytus and Phaedra, a Dionysian cortege and an inscription surrounded with motifs referring to the fauna and flora of a Nilotic landscape as well as to iconography of the seasons of Spring and Fall. The mosaic from Vinon also consists of three pictures: Dionysus offering Ikarios the grapevine, the Three Graces and a panel depicting a voracious goat defiling the gift of Dionysus. Inscriptions accompany both the mosaics, in Latin at Sheikh Zued and in Greek at Vinon.
Numerous apotropaic symbols and inscriptions are known, but never before has a mythological picture been interpreted as apotropaic. The latest research has shown that the owners of the respective estates had chosen mythological themes in order to protect them and their property from the Evil Eye and Hatred. Dionysian motifs are associated with the putative function of the rooms, where banquets with music and dancing must have been held, and wine must have flowed in abundance. The allusion to the abundance of the Nile was meant to ensure the prosperity and wealth of the house, in similarity to the Dionysian motifs as a matter of fact. Dionysus, Heracles and Venus were patrons of the houses. The interpretation of the two mosaics takes advantage of studies in the field of the history of mentality of the communities standing on the threshold of post-classical times. At the same time, it constitutes a huge step forward in the understanding of this category of finds. The two mosaics confirm what Artemidoros of Daldis (2nd century AD) had to say about the status of pictures: that they could be synonymous in meaning (see: M.T. Olszewski, Le statut de l'image selon Artémidore et l'art romain, in: Morlier, H. ed., IXe Colloque international pour l'étude de la mosaïque antique et médiévale, Roma 5.11.2001-10.11.2001, Collection de l'Ecole Française de Rome 352/2, Rome 2005, pp. 859-880).
See also: M.T. Olszewski, La mosaïque de style naïf de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï, Archeologia (Warsaw) 53, 2002, pp. 45–61, pls III+VI; M.T. Olszewski, Mauvais œil et protection contre l'envie dans la mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï (IV-Ve siècle), in: Paunier, D., Schmidt, Ch (ed. by), la Mosaïque gréco-romaine VIII. Actes du  VIIIe Colloque international de la mosaïque antique et médiévale, Lausanne 1997 (2001), pp. 276-301.

La célèbre mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède, situé au nord-ouest du Sinaï, ainsi que celle de Vinon dans la Gaule Narbonaise ont été découvertes dans les années dix du XXe siècle. Depuis leurs mises à jour jusqu’à la fin du siècle dernier, elles devaient attendre deux réexamens scientifiques qui ont apportés une analyse iconographique plus complète ainsi que deux nouvelles lectures iconologiques que l’on peut sans doute considerer comme sensationelles !
La mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède est composée de trois tableaux superposés. Deux panneaux représentent des scenes mythologiques: procession dionysiaque et Hippolyte et Phèdre. La troisième image comporte une inscription de bienvenue bordée au-dessus et au-dessous d’animaux et de plantes; une allusion aux scènes nilotiques et à la symbolique printanière et automnale.
La mosaïque de Vinon est également composée de trois tableaux qui sont cependant juxtaposés. Ils représentent, au centre, les trois Grâces et deux scènes à caractère dionysiaques. Celle de gauche représente le don de la vigne (grappes de raisins) par Dionysos à Icarios et celle de droite, le sacrilège de la vigne par un bouc. Les deux mosaïques sont accompagnées par des inscriptions en grec et latin. Elles sont datées à la première moitié du Ve siècle.
On connais plusieurs inscriptions, images et symboles de caractère apothropaïque. C’est pourtant la première fois que des images mythologiques ont dévoilées aux chercheurs leurs sens prophylactique et apotropaïque. Les propriétaires de ces deux résidences ornées de belles mosaïques ont choisis ces thèmes mythologiques pour protéger et écarter le Mauvais Œil et l’Envie. Les sujets dionysiaques dans les salles à manger évoquent probablement des fêtes joyeuses arrosées de vin où la danse et la musique constituaient des éléments essentiels. Par contre, l’abondance nilotique évoquait sans doute le bonheur et l’opulence des dons de la Nature sur les tables de la maison; cette signification concernait certainement aussi les scènes dionysiaques. Les maisons ont été protégées par Dionysos, Héraclès et Vénus.
Pour interpréter ces deux œuvres, les auteurs ont utilisé des recherches sur “l’histoire de la mentalité” des sociétés administrées par les Romains. La lecture de ces deux mosaïques confirme ce que l’on vient de découvrir en étudiant le célèbre texte d’Artémidore de Daldis (IIe siècle) sur les images synonimiques (cf. M.T. Olszewski, Le statut de l'image selon Artémidore et l'art romain, in: Morlier, H. ed., IXe Colloque international pour l'étude de la mosaïque antique et médiévale, Roma 5.11.2001-10.11.2001, Collection de l'Ecole Française de Rome 352/2, Rome 2005, pp. 859-880).
Voir M.T. Olszewski, La mosaïque de style naïf de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï, Archeologia (Warsaw) 53, 2002, pp. 45–61, pls III+VI; M.T. Olszewski, Mauvais œil et protection contre l'envie dans la mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï (IV-Ve siècle), in: Paunier, D., Schmidt, Ch (ed. by), la Mosaïque gréco-romaine VIII. Actes du  VIIIe Colloque international de la mosaïque antique et médiévale, Lausanne 1997 (2001), pp. 276-301.

Данная статья посвящена исследованию архаических сюжетов в декоре комнат в домах древних римлян. Пользуясь этнографическим материалом и античными текстами мы попытались дать ответ, каким значением обладали маски изображенные на стенах. А также прояснить связь масок с ритуалами и мистериями. Статья снабжена многочисленными римскими фресками I века н.э. и другим археологическим материалом.

This programmatic paper conceptualises a research topic that has emerged in academic research over the past decades—'Western learned magic'—and provides a theoretical foundation for its historicisation to come. Even though a large amount of specialised findings on this topic have been brought forward in recent years, a diachronic and cross-cultural overview of the history of 'Western learned magic' that reconstructs possible red threads through the manifold material is still an urgent desideratum. Based on the observation that most classic definitions and theories of 'magic' are irrelevant to the history of 'Western learned magic'—as these have been deduced from anthropological sources and theorising—this article raises a range of theoretical issues that need to be taken into account in the course of its historicisation: continuity, changeability, hybridity, deviance, morality, complexity, efficacy, and multiplicity. By means of this novel theoretical setup, historians will be able to work towards a methodologically sound history of 'Western learned magic' that takes into account the recent criticism against a second-order category of 'magic' while, at the same time, revealing outdated stereotypes and master narratives on the topic.

Abierta convocatoria de presentación originales.
Antigüedad y Cristianismo es una de las revistas nacionales más prestigiosas por su tradición
sobre la Antigüedad Tardía, fundada en el años1984 por el Dr. Antonino González Blanco, antiguo Catedrático de Historia Antigua de la Universidad de Murcia.
Lanzamos una nueva llamada a la comunidad científica para la publicación de un nuevo
número. Los trabajos originales e inéditos, serán sometidos a evaluación de pares ciegos, y
deben versar sobre la Antigüedad Tardía desde el punto de vista histórico, aunque también se
aceptan trabajos de otras disciplinas afines como la Filología, Derecho o Arte. Los artículos
pueden ser redactados en español, inglés, francés, italiano o alemán. Además, como novedad,
a partir de este número se estima una priorización de 6 meses aproximadamente, desde la
recepción de originales hasta su publicación.
El sistema de envío, así como los requisitos y condiciones que deben cumplir los trabajos
están en la sección de normas de nuestra web (revistas.um.es/ayc).
La revista está abierta a todos los planteamientos y orientaciones metodológicas que superen
el estricto examen del consejo de redacción y su panel de expertos y consultores (un listado
de los cuales se publicará al final de cada número). Señas de identidad de Antigüedad y
Cristianismo son el rigor científico, la publicación de originales contrastados, la veracidad,
honestidad y ética de la investigación.
Cualquier cuestión o duda pueden consultarla en ayc@um.es

Cheikh Zouède est un village localisé sur la côte ouest du Sinaï, entre Rafah (19 km au sud) et El' Arîche et quelques dizaines de kilomètres de Gaza (54 km au S.-O. de Gaza et 144 km de Jérusalem). Il est identifié avec Bitulion, une ville épiscopale au VIe siècle dont l'histoire remonte à l'époque sémitique avec quelques fondations. A l'époque ptolémaïque existe un bourg, Bytyl, témoigné par la céramique rhodienne (amphores estampillées).
La fouille de 1913 n'était qu'un dégagement rapide des vestiges archéologiques sans méthode au sens actuel du terme. La mosaïque figurative (4,75 x 3 m), très bien conservée, occupe la partie Est d'une grande pièce rectangulaire (7,25 x 6,60 m). A l'ouest de cette mosaïque est juxtaposé un panneau géométrique (1, 72 x 1,65 m). Ces deux mosaïques polychromes contrastent avec le sol monochrome en tesselles blanche.
Le visiteur se trouvait d'abord en face d'une longue inscription, le panneau central déroulé en deux registres figurait un thiase dionysiaque, enfin le dernier illustrait le mythe de Phèdre et d'Hippolyte accompagné au-dessus d'une inscription et couronné d'une autre.
L’auteur analyse trois inscriptions et trois images figurées du point de vue du vocabulaire utilises, de  l’iconographie ainsi que de l’iconologie en suivant leurs apparitions depuis la tragédie grecque jusqu’ à l’époque tardive.
Nous nous demandons si l'inscription contre le Mauvais Œil et l'Envie est placée intentionnellement près du mythe de Phèdre et d'Hippolyte. Il fait allusion aux conséquences destructrices d'un regard maléfique, malheur à celui qui tenterait d'entrer avec de semblables intentions. l'hypothèse nous semble défendable. Nous connaissons toute une série d'inscriptions exprimant l'idée : « Que l'on souhaite du bien ou du mal, il sera rendu au double ».
Dionysos et Héraclès sont associés dans les écrits théologiques de Julien. Le premier veille que la vie ait un sens et le deuxième est un dieu <<gardien>> et <<protecteur>> du monde. Ces caractéristiques attribuées à Dionysos et à Héraclès expliquent leur présence sur cette mosaïque.
Il serait tout à fait justifié de comparer le programme de la mosaïque de Cheikh Zouède avec celui de la villa gauloise de Vinon en Narbonnaise interprétée d'une façon excellente par Henri Lavagne. Nous voyons aussi quelques parallèles avec des inscriptions saluant le visiteur (HAIREI) et l’avertissant (KAISU) en même temps. C'est le cas de la maison de Dionysos à Néa Paphos qui a fait l’objet d’une très bonne étude de Ch. Kondelon. Les mosaïques du vestibule de la maison du Mauvais Œil ont également le pouvoir protecteur comme Doro Levi l’a justement expliqué.
Ce pavement du Sinaï d'une vaste propriété nous laisse penser que ses habitants devaient être hellénisées et profondément païens. Ils se servent de la mythologie pour décorer leur demeure et se protègent contre l'intrusion des forces maléfiques. Le propriétaire est un homme cultivé et le filokalos. Le choix des sujets mythologiques pour représenter des idées qui sont exprimées sur d'autres mosaïques d'une façon beaucoup moins sophistiquée témoigne de son goût raffiné. La date de l'exécution de la mosaïque reste discutable, malgré quelques analogies iconographiques et stylistiques suggérant plutôt la période entre les premières moitiés du IVe et du Ve siècles ( sur la datation et le style de la mosaïque cf. M. T. Olszewski, La mosaïque de style naïf de Cheikh Zouède au Sinaï , Archeologia (Warsaw) 53, 2002, pp. 45–61, pls III+VI).

This paper investigates the reasons for the existence of a large number of ‘magical’ amulets and incantations containing elements of the Christian religion in late antique Egypt. It will show how magic was conceived by those in antiquity by examining primary evidence including law codes, Christian discourse from church authorities, and the magical amulets and papyri themselves. The different conceptions of what ‘magic’ actually consisted of reveals varying conceptions on the legitimacy of amulets and other incantations as expressions of Christian belief. While the majority of prominent Church intellectuals appear to condemn the practice, this was not necessarily the view of all those who professed to be Christians, revealing a blurry line between magic and religion. The regional diversity of Christianity and its practices in the late antique period, and particularly in Egypt, meant that the practices some Christians believed to be acceptable, were seen by others as worthy of condemnation.

Cari amici, ho il piacere di invitarvi al convegno “Magia. Costruzione e Percezione del Mondo Magico dall’Antichità all’Età Contemporanea” che si terrà a Velletri dal 14 al 18 giugno 2016 presso la sede dell’Università Telematica “Pegaso” (Palazzo Romani, corso della Repubblica 253).
L’iniziativa fa strutturalmente parte della seconda edizione di “Castelli Romani. Mito, Religioni e Tradizioni Eno-Gastronomiche”, manifestazione che si articolerà in serate di festa e cultura, con spettacoli e visite guidate ai musei e ai monumenti dei comuni di Albano Laziale, Artena, Castel Gandolfo, Lanuvio e Lariano.
In basso potete trovare il programma complessivo del convegno e link utili per ottenere maggiori informazioni.
Soggiorno: quanti interessati al convegno avessero la necessità di soggiornare sul territorio possono prenotare presso la struttura alberghiera convenzionata a prezzo ridotto: Hotel Villa Robinia, viale Fratelli Rosselli 9, Genzano di Roma (Alloggio e colazione € 20,00 al giorno). Per usufruire della convenzione è necessario prenotare tramite la dott. Maria Paola De Marchis (mariapaolademarchis@gmail.com).
Treno e servizio navetta: Velletri è facilmente raggiungibile via treno (Linea FS Roma Termini-Velletri). Sarà attivo, su prenotazione, un servizio navetta gratuito dall’Hotel Villa Robinia alla sede del convegno. Per usufruire del servizio è necessaria la prenotazione, da effettuare entro il giorno precedente a quello in cui il servizio è richiesto. Referente: dott.  Maria Paola De Marchis (mariapaolademarchis@gmail.com).
Parcheggio: Palazzo Romani si trova in una zona a traffico limitato. Per coloro che si recassero a Velletri in macchina, si consiglia il parcheggio privato “Tina Park” (via Antonio Gramsci 36), posto nelle immeditate vicinanze di Palazzo Romani. Per chi ne farà richiesta, sarà rilasciato un attestato di partecipazione al convegno con il quale si potrà avere uno sconto sul biglietto del parcheggio.

Info:
Mail: igorbaglioni79@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1749080852042963/
Locandina: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9YJVtxAzLWVNGhBTHg4LXdRVjg/view?usp=sharing

The obscure expression « absolute black » (τελείω μελανί), which occurs in three different sources (Κόρη Κόσμου, 32, P.G.M. VII, 492 and Michigan University Ms. 136), has given rise to many tentative interpretations, remaining incomplete. To explain it, one has to consider a word-play between the Greek and the Egyptian languages. It has already been demonstrated that the teachings of Hermes include elements of egyptian origin, especially certain conceptions and representations in the Corpus hermeticum, which can be put in relation with some egyptian mythological and religious schemes. The particular interest of the fact presented here resides in its being more concretely textual, a characteristic giving evidence for a case of elaborate linguistic contact between Greek and Egyptian in the milieu where birth and growth of hermetism take place.

Museum of Religions “Raffaele Pettazzoni”

Magic
Construction and Perception of the Magic World from Antiquity to Our Times
June 14-18, 2016
Velletri (Rome)

Call for Papers


This congress aims at investigating the concept of “magic” on the basis of the historical data at our disposal and according to the development of Western thought. Therefore, different kinds of documentation relating to beliefs and rituals will be the object of our investigation. In particular, papers could deal with the following topics:

1. The origin of the concept of “magic” and its development in Western thought.
2. The nature and scope of the sources at our disposal as documentation for this topic.
3. The specific terminology of the sources in relation to the ritual sphere and experts of magic; also, the terminology used for supernatural entities and  conceptions of the cosmos. 
4. The ritual practices that in the sources are related to the sphere of magic.
5. Historical or mythical personalities, which in the sources are related to the magical world.
6. Objects, which, in the sources, are presented as tools in magical activities.
7. The history of studies.
Please note: papers focussing on single, specific cases and not related to the general aim of the congress will not be accepted.

The workshop is structured into six research areas:

1. Egypt and the Ancient Near East (coordinator: Rita Lucarelli - University of California, Berkeley)
2. Classical antiquity (coordinator: Sabina Crippa - Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia)
3. Medieval period (coordinator: Carla Del Zotto - Sapienza Università di Roma)
4. Modern era (coordinator: Marina Caffiero - Sapienza Università di Roma)
5. Contemporary era (coordinator: Silvia Mancini - Université de Lausanne)
6. History of Studies (coordinator: Paolo Scarpi - Università degli Studi di Padova)

Administration: Igor Baglioni (Museo delle Religioni “Raffaele Pettazzoni”)