Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome (Witchcraft and Magic in Europe) [Paperback]

Bengt Ankarloo (Editor), Stuart Clark (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0812217055 | ISBN-13: 978-0812217056 | Publication Date: October 14, 1999

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2000

The roots of European witchcraft and magic lie in Hebrew and other ancient Near Eastern cultures and in the Celtic, Nordic, and Germanic traditions of the Continent. For two millennia, European folklore and ritual have been imbued with the belief in the supernatural, yielding a rich trove of histories and images.

The six volumes in the series Witchcraft and Magic in Europe combine traditional approaches of political, legal, and social historians with critical syntheses of cultural anthropology, historical psychology, and gender studies. The series provides a modern, scholarly survey of the supernatural beliefs of Europeans from ancient times to the present day. Each volume contains the work of distinguished scholars chosen for their expertise in a particular era or region.

The chronological scope of this volume ranges from the heroic age of Homer's Greek East to the time of the rise of Christianity, a period of well over a thousand years. In this long millennium the political and cultural landscapes of the Mediterranean basin underwent significant changes, as competing creeds and denominations rose to the fore, and often accused each other of sorcery.

Other volumes in the series Witchcraft and Magic in Europe:
Biblical and Pagan Societies
The Middle Ages
The Period of the Witch Trials
The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
The Twentieth Century

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This series provides a scholarly survey of European belief in the supernatural. Using broad definitions of witchcraft and the supernatural, it provides a framework for inquiring into the supernatural in Europe from ancient to modern times. Each volume is divided into sections, each of which was written by a prominent scholar in that field. The first volume looks at the practices resulting in a belief in sorcery and witchcraft in Greek and Roman times. Part 1 covers curses, spells, and voodoo dolls in ancient Greek and Rome; Part 2 offers a literary review of witches and sorcerers in classical literature; Part 3 analyzes the role of magic in the classical world; and Part 4 covers belief in demons in the classical world, early Christianity, and Judaism. The second volume covers the witch trials of the 18th and 19th century. Part 1 analyzes the general reasons for their decline; Part 2 discusses beliefs in witchcraft after the trials; and Part 3 discusses the trials' origins in Enlightenment, Romantic, and Liberal thought. The third volume discusses modern witchcraft. Part 1 describes the rise of modern pagan witchcraft; Part 2 looks at modern Satanism (thoroughly dispelling the myth of ritual abuse); and Part 3 analyzes more traditional practices of witchcraft in the 20th century including bewitchments and cursings, and looks into the future of such practices. These volumes provide an exceptional historical and social analysis of subject of enduring interest. All three are highly recommended for academic libraries.AGail Wood, SUNY at Cortland
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Wide-ranging, well-documented, up-to-date. . . . Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: Ancient Greece and Rome is deliberately designed as an introduction for the general reader, and it fulfills that function admirably."—Peter Green, The New Republic

"An exceptional historical and social analysis of a subject of enduring interest."—Library Journal

"This extensive and reliable handbook will be the general introduction to ancient magic for some time to come."—Choice

"Although the volumes are intended mainly for scholars, there is much in them to interest the common reader."—New Yorker

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (October 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812217055
• ISBN-13: 978-0812217056
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,223,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth about angels....., March 22, 2002

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome (Witchcraft and Magic in Europe) (Paperback)

I've been reading WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark and have found the series incredibly informative. Although some may stumble over the text owing to the arcane demands of scholorship, as "text books" go, these works are the best. I may be biased as I never seem to tire of the subject of magic (what is it anyway??) especially when it is intelligently and objectively discussed. I also think anyone who truly wants to understand the connections between modern Christianity and Paganism must read these books as they combine information from written texts, including theological works, with archeology. You simply can't discuss witchraft and magic in Europe without reference to Chistianity--particularly the Roman Catholic Church. I feel these authors are very objective, but that may be because they recognize there was something very different about Jesus compared with the other magi of the ancient world.

'Ancient Greece and Rome' contains four scholarly essays. The first, by Daniel Ogden of the University of Wales in Swansea, covers "Binding Spells, Curse Tablets and Voodoo Dolls in the Greek and Roman World." Ogden investigates the cache of curse tablets unearthed at Bath in England as well as archeological findings from other parts of the Roman empire. The student of Britannia will find the connections with Persia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt fascinating.

In the second essay, "Witches and Sorcerers in Classical Literature" Georg Luck of Johns Hopkins University discusses the concept of magic and it's many definitions as well as the practicioners of magic in all their incarnations. After reading his essay, I have a much better idea of what literary critics mean when they describe a modern work as a 'classic'. For example, resurrecting the dead was the aim of the necromancer (a type of sorcerer). What else could Dr. Frankenstein have been up to? And what the heck was Dante doing in hell?

These essays complement each other and the last essay ties them all together. I was raised Roman Catholic and am familiar with the teachings of the Church as well as the early writings of the Church elders, so I found the connections between magic and religion Valerie Flint of the University of Hull made in her essay intriguing.

Flint's essay, is entitled, "The Demonization of Magic and Sorcery in Late Antiquity: Christian Redefinitions of Pagan Religions." Flint suggests the Roman Catholic Church condemmed the practicioners (Sorcerers and Magicians), offered them salvation, and then adopted many of their practicies. Goddesses and Demigods became saints, healing for a fee took on a new meaning, statues were transformed, prayers for crops took a new twist, sacrements and sacrifices were retained, and daemons took two forms--devils and angels.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but little that is unique to this book, November 28, 2009

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome (Witchcraft and Magic in Europe) (Paperback)

This book contains four essays covering difixiones (binding spells), textual representations of witches and magic, philosophical writings, and the transition to Christianity.

Of the four essays, I found three of them to offer little in comparison to other books on the subject. The final essay, on the other hand, addressed the transition to Christianity and included material that I hadn't yet found in my studies of Hellenic and Hellenistic magic. On the whole, however, this sticks with reasonably established and well-understood elements.

That final essay, however, provides a great deal of clarity on the way in which Christianity struggled with Hellenistic notions of magic. The book is well worth buying for this essay (as well as for a general reference on the subject).

I would recommend this book, but would also recommend more highly the following books:
"Greek and Roman Necromancy" by Daniel Ogden
"Magika Hiera" edited by Christopher Faraone et al.
"Greek Religion" by Walter Burkert
"Hellenistic Religion" by Luther Martin

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars much information, reads like a text book, July 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome (Witchcraft and Magic in Europe) (Paperback)

There is much information about witchcraft in ancient Europe in this book, but it's no light reading. From scrolls found in early BC (how they were made and where they were found)to Demons in the "today" Christian Bible. It basically informs you of(almost) every idea, story(old and new, fiction and nonfiction)and myth on witchcraft in history. I enjoyed this book (though it took me a while to get through it) Be warned, TEXT BOOK reading.