GREEK 645: ANCIENT MAGIC

Required Texts:

• ·      Apuleius, The Golden Ass (trans. Relihan) (available in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Betz, Hans D., The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation (PGM)
• ·      Edmonds, Radcliffe, Drawing Down the Moon: Magic in the ancient Greco-Roman world (Tripod Ebook)
• ·      Gager, John G., Curse Tablets & Binding Spells from the Ancient World
• ·      Ogden, Daniel, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook (Tripod Ebook)

Recommended Texts:

• ·      Barton, Ancient Astrology (available in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Faraone & Obbink, Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic & Religion
• ·      Frankfurter, David, Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic (also in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Graf, Fritz, Magic in the Ancient World
• ·      Iamblichus, On the Mysteries (trans. Clark, Dillon & Hershbell)
• ·      Mauss, 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 students will gain an understanding of the magicians of the ancient world and the techniques and devices they used to serve their clientele, as well as the cultural contexts in which these ideas of magic arose.  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 discuss and answer questions on the material covered in the lesson for the week, as well as to translate from the primary texts.  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.

            Several students will be selected to lead off the discussion on the secondary readings for each class, but every student should be prepared to contribute to the discussion.  Those whose names are drawn from the Hat of Fate should post their discussion questions on Moodle at least 24 hours before class on Wednesday.  If necessary, 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 Moodle site for this class. 

Short Written Assignments: 

            There will be two short written assignments designed for the students to demonstrate their understanding of specific materials covered in class.  These projects may require some out of class research in addition to the readings assigned for the class.  The first of these assignments will require you to take the examples we've looked at in class and analyze them for their essential features – logical structure, common patterns of formulation, etc.  You will then have to synthesize these features into a composite that illustrates the features of, e.g., a love spell or a curse, and discuss why what you have put together corresponds with the ancient evidence.  The second assignment will involve divination, specifically astrology.  You will have to read a chart on the basis of the excerpts from the ancient manuals I will give you and then decide how to advise a client in a specific situation.  The task is not just to show your mastery of the technical details but, even more importantly, of the social dynamics that underlie divination in the ancient world.

Research Paper:

            Each student should prepare a research paper of around 25-30 pages before the end of the semester.  You should discuss potential topics with me as soon as possible and send me a paragraph summarizing your chosen idea by the 5^th week of term (Feb. 18) and a preliminary outline and bibliography by the end of break (March 17).  A rough draft of the paper is due in Week 14, on April 29, and each student will give a brief presentation of the research project in class on that day.  The final draft of the paper is due at the end of finals.

Bryn Mawr College is committed to providing equal access to students with a documented disability. Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first speak with Access Services. Students can email accessservices@brynmawr.edu to request an appointment to begin this confidential process. If eligible for accommodations as per Access Services, students should schedule an appointment with the professor as early in the semester as possible to share their verification form and make appropriate arrangements. Any student who has a disability-related need to record this class must first be found eligible to do so by Access Services and must share this eligibility with me, the instructor. Class members need to be aware that this class may be recorded. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement. More information can be obtained at the Access Services website. (http://www.brynmawr.edu/access-services/)