General

CLASSICAL STUDIES 242

MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT GRECO-ROMAN WORLD

Required Texts:

• ·      Apuleius, The Golden Ass (trans. Relihan) (also 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 (also in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Gager, John G., Curse Tablets & Binding Spells from the Ancient World (also in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Ogden, Daniel, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook (also in Tripod as Ebook)

Recommended Texts:

• ·      Barton, Tamsyn, Ancient Astrology (also in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      Faraone & Obbink, Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic & Religion (also in Tripod as Ebook)
• ·      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, Marcel, 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.  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.

            Monday classes will be primarily lecture, with some discussion of the general issues raised in the secondary readings.  On Wednesday, the class will discuss the primary and secondary readings in greater detail.  Several students will be selected to lead off the discussion 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 questions on Moodle at least 24 hours before class on Wednesday.  Anyone else may also gain extra credit for participation by posting questions or comments on Moodle. All readings not in the required textbooks will be available online in the Moodle site for this class. 

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 have 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 in the readings and then decide how to advise a client in a specific situation.  The task is to show your mastery not just of the technical details but, even more importantly, of the social dynamics that underlie divination in the ancient world.

Examinations:

            There will be take-home Midterm and Final Examinations for this class.  Each of these examinations will require students to apply the analyses and definitions discussed throughout the course to primary materials. These open book essay exams will ask you to analyze ancient materials that we haven't studied in class in the same way we have been analyzing materials in class, looking at the context – what, who, why, where, how – and connections with other texts we have studied. 

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. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement. 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.  More information can be obtained at the Access Services website. (http://www.brynmawr.edu/access-services/)

Grade Distribution:

• Class Participation                   30%
• Written Assignments               30%
• Midterm Exam                        15%
• Final Exam                              25%