Magic in the Ancient Greek World - (Blackwell Ancient Religions) by Derek Collins (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Original and comprehensive, Magic in the Ancient Greek World takes the reader inside both the social imagination and the ritual reality that made magic possible in ancient Greece.

• Explores the widespread use of spells, drugs, curse tablets, and figurines, and the practitioners of magic in the ancient world
  
• Uncovers how magic worked. Was it down to mere superstition? Did the subject need to believe in order for it to have an effect?
  
• Focuses on detailed case studies of individual types of magic
  
• Examines the central role of magic in Greek life

From the Back Cover

Magic in the Ancient Greek World is an innovative introduction to the practice of magic during the classical period. This book develops a framework for understanding the role of magic in Greek life.

Thematically organized around detailed case studies of individual types of magic, this volume examines the use of spells, drugs, binding curses, figurines, and the specialists who offered them. Collins reveals how each of these magical practices worked and the cultural structures that allowed them to occur.

Original and insightful, Magic in the Ancient Greek World takes the reader inside both the social imagination and the ritual reality that made magic possible in ancient Greece.

Review Quotes

Shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Award 2008

"Collins, associate professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan, and author of Master of the Game: Competition and Performance in Greek Poetry (2005), seeks to introduce nonspecialists to areas of Greek magic, cover the highpoints of scholarly consensus, and offer new interpretative frameworks for understanding select Greek magical practices." (New Testament Abstracts, January 2009)

"If you want to understand how the Ancient Greeks practised and viewed the magical arts then this book is highly recommended." (The Cauldron)

"Lots of interesting details, brilliant, clear chapters, great insights, and connections. There is a wealth of information and ... fascinating little bits of trivia." (About.com)

"This is not simply a rehash of previously covered material. Collins covers a range of magical practices ... .This book is an important new addition to studies of ancient magic. Present[s] the reader with a full context for any discussion of magical practices. Collins achieves this without becoming bogged down in a discussion of terminology ... which can sometimes derail other studies. The focus on Greek magic centres the book with a clear methodology of always bringing the discussion back to the Greek origins of the magic in question." (Rosetta Papers)

About the Author

Derek Collins is an Associate Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan. He has written extensively on Greek poetry and its performance, including Master of the Game: Competition and Performance in Greek Poetry (2005). Collins has also published on Greek divination and magic, including articles on bird divination, the criminalization of magic in Athens, and the intellectual background to classical Greek magic.