Customer Reviews

Night's Black Agents: Witches Wizards and the Dead in the Ancient World

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This book looks at the general development of occult topics in the Greek and Roman worlds. The book covers themes of necromancy, portrayals of sorceresses in Greek and Roman literature, and many more related topics.

I found the book to be informative and interesting. It is also quite accessible. Unfortunately, as an overview of the topic, it doesn't have as much detail as one would like.

All in all, this is mostly a discussion of occult topics in Greek and Roman literature. Archaeology is largely omitted, as are legal records. Hence this is something that people should read in that spirit. Among others it covers appearances of magic in Homeric poetry, The Golden Ass, and many other literary works from Greece and Rome. Interestingly I think that this field is important because there is a great deal of continuity with the later witch craze concepts which haunted Europe during the later Middle Ages.

For more in depth studies, the following books are also to be recommended:
Greek and Roman Necromancy
Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion
Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World
Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World
The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells: Texts

Any reader interested in ghosts, witches, vampires, or any aspect of the supernatural in the Graeco-Roman world, will find a highly readable introduction to the subject in Night's Black Agents. Daniel Ogden, a well-known authority on magic in that era, has produced a well-paced account of things that went bump in the night. The book, a survey written for a general audience, is packed with fascinating detail and contains a thorough set of end-notes for those who want to pursue particulars in the works of the original authors. A comprehensive bibliography and index add to the value of this work.

A well-chosen set of illustrations shows how the ancients imagined the characters of their stories, inhabitants of that region of shadows where the world of the living touches the world of the dead. Not only did the protagonists of these tales consult hideous witches and raise ghosts, on occasion they engaged in sex with partners returned from beyond the veil.

The banquet and ghost story, the Roman equivalent of dinner and a movie, can now be revisited and relished. All the reader need supply is the food.

"Night's Black Agents" by Daniel Ogden is a splendid and informative read. Let me admit, I am a fan of the Occult; not so much now as I used to be. I am also big into Greek and Roman Mythology, and what I found in this book was a great surprise. I've never read anything quite like it, it's hard to find works that focus on the more 'morbid' aspects of ancient Mythology. But this book covers it all, just like the title says, "Witches, Wizards and the Dead."
I will not go into any scholarly analysis of the book because I am not qualified. But as far as I can tell, the author has done a lot of in-depth research and seems extremely qualified to write on the subject. Although this is definitely a work of Scholarly aptitude, it was something that anyone can read - and I appreciate that. What I mean is that you can tell it was written for a more general audience, rather than for his peers. Great!
I also found this to be a great companion to the Greek Magical Papyri - so if you're into that, you might want to check this book out as well. It puts a lot of the more obscure points from the Papyri into perspective, and gives you a deeper understanding of the mindset held by the people's who wrote such texts long ago.
If you're into Greek/Roman Mythology, Religious Anthropology, or just have a keen interest for the more 'macabre' and 'occult' trends of the ancient world, read this book.
Great work Mr. Ogden, I anxiously await future works!

Night's Black Agents; Witches, Wizards and the Dead in the Ancient World by Daniel Ogden is, I admit..."too dark and ancient for me".

While it is evident that Professor Ogden digs deep into the sarcophagus of the ancient world and seems to totally understand what he is teaching...I was, unfortunately... left without a clue.

His studies of the ancient Greek and Roman beginnings into the realms of "witchcraft" are without doubt well researched and academically autopsied to the point of doctoral perfection. However, in his clinical and rather sterile approach to all of this, he becomes truthfully speaking... "boring."

Perhaps, I simply do not possess the "grey matter" to appreciate or, comprehend this scholarly work, but regardless of what other reviewers say about the "reader-friendliness" of this book, I would definitely disagree.

Good books on the history and development of "Witchcraft" are extremely difficult to find. Although this is a serious academic study, it was not what I was looking for, and my mistake was a costly one.

I would not recommend this book unless; the reader is highly motivated in mastering a degree in ancient mythology and philosophical thought.