Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World [Paperback]

John G. Gager (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0195134826 | ISBN-13: 978-0195134827

In the ancient Greco-Roman world, it was common practice to curse or bind an enemy or rival by writing an incantation on a tablet and dedicating it to a god or spirit. These curses or binding spells, commonly called defixiones were intended to bring other people under the power and control of those who commissioned them. More than a thousand such texts, written between the 5th Century B.C.E. and the 5th Century C.E., have been discovered from North Africa to England, and from Syria to Spain. Extending into every aspect of ancient life--athletic and theatrical competitions, judicial proceedings, love affairs, business rivalries, and the recovery of stolen property--they shed light on a new dimension of classical study previously inaccessible. Here, for the first time, these texts have been translated into English with a substantial translator's introduction revealing the cultural, social, and historical context for the texts. This book will interest historians, classicists, scholars of religion, and those concerned with ancient magic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is ample reason...to be extremely grateful to Gager and his associates for having provided such a rich and accessible collection of these fascinating and culturally important documents."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"The material is fascinating, and provides a view of antiquity from an unaccustomed angle....Of immense value to students of the ancient world and of the history of religion."--Times Literary Supplement

"Spellbinding."--Christian Century

"A thorough and scholarly book, of immense value to students of the ancient world and of the history of religion."--Ancient History

"The editor and publisher are to be commended for making an important aspect of ancient popular religion accessible to a wide audience."--Journal of Religion

About the Author

John G. Gager is at Princeton University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195134826
• ISBN-13: 978-0195134827
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > History > Europe > Greece

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important contribution to classical studies, March 17, 2009

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World (Paperback)

In this work, Professor Gager provides a catalog of curse tablets and binding spells from Europe and the Middle East and some fairly impressive analysis of these finds. If you are looking for a systematic analysis of such finds, skip this work. If you are looking for source material and enough analysis to make it interesting, this is the book for you.

Gager divides these materials into a number of sub-categories such as those involving race-course competition, sex love or marriage, business competition, pleas for revenge and so forth, This functional breakdown makes the material easier to piece together and draw connections between the samples presented.

The one thing that could have made this work much better would be to include many more of the inscriptions in their original languages.

I would highly recommend this work to anyone interested in ancient magical practices or classical studies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, May 28, 2010

By 

B. Smith (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World (Paperback)

This book not only provides many examples of ancient spells but also gives the necessary background information about culture, religion and society that is necessary to properly understand the spells. If you're already familiar with this you may want an edition that focuses on primary texts only. But if you're looking for a solid introduction then this is a great book.

Other related books I liked are The Life of Apollonius of Tyana and The Syrian Goddess: De Dea Syria.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful General Introduction; Poor Use of Original Materials, September 3, 2011

By 

Phillip Mendelsohn (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World (Paperback)

Although this book provides a useful general overview and introduction to the subject of "defixiones", the editor is extremely verbose, and makes very poor use of original materials (in my opinion). Over 150 tablets are discussed; however, transcriptions and/or graphic representations are given for only a few. All the tablets discussed are given in English translations, provided by a group of different scholars noted in the front of the book (however, the separate translations are not signed or credited to any particular individual). Footnotes call out unusual, difficult, or particularly interesting words. Many times I thought the most interesting material was in the footnotes; this means the book probably was not properly conceived, structured or edited. The notes are often supplemented by the editor's "personal correspondence" with other scholars who have personally seen and/or unearthed/discovered the tablets.

If I were editing such a book, I think the most useful arrangement would be: (1) a photograph or transcription of each tablet, accompanied by; (2) a transliteration (i.e., the original language, whether Greek, Latin, Hebrew, or Aramaic, put into English characters); (3) then a translation (or a translation side-by-side with the transliteration); (4) then commentary, analysis, and general pedantry. I would expect no less from a book published by Oxford University Press; this book reads more like it was published by a Random House or other non-academic publisher. It is difficult to tell what, if any, original scholarly work has been provided here, beyond a compilation of already-existing material (apparently with new English translations).

Also on the plus side, the book does have a very useful Bibliography, which can help point people who want to know more (or more advanced students) in the right direction.