Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts / Edition 2

by Georg Luck

Overview

Magic, miracles, daemonology, divination, astrology, and alchemy were the arcana mundi, the "secrets of the universe," of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In this path-breaking collection of Greek and Roman writings on magic and the occult, Georg Luck provides a comprehensive sourcebook and introduction to magic as it was practiced by witches and sorcerers, magi and astrologers, in the Greek and Roman worlds.

In this new edition, Luck has gathered and translated 130 ancient texts dating from the eighth century BCE through the fourth century CE. Thoroughly revised, this volume offers several new elements: a comprehensive general introduction, an epilogue discussing the persistence of ancient magic into the early Christian and Byzantine eras, and an appendix on the use of mind-altering substances in occult practices. Also added is an extensive glossary of Greek and Latin magical terms.

In Arcana Mundi Georg Luck presents a fascinating--and at times startling--alternative vision of the ancient world. "For a long time it was fashionable to ignore the darker and, to us, perhaps, uncomfortable aspects of everyday life in Greece and Rome," Luck has written. "But we can no longer idealize the Greeks with their 'artistic genius' and the Romans with their 'sober realism.' Magic and witchcraft, the fear of daemons and ghosts, the wish to manipulate invisible powers--all of this was very much a part of their lives."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801883460
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/06/2006
Edition description:	second edition
Pages:	568
Sales rank:	647,218
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.45(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Georg Luck is professor emeritus in the Department of Classics at the Johns Hopkins University. He has served as editor of American Journal of Philology and is the author of The Latin Love Elegy (Methuen, 1969) and others.

Table of Contents

List of Texts
Preface
List of Abbreviations
General Introduction: Exploring Ancient Magic
1. Magic
Introduction
Texts
2. Miracles
Introduction
Texts
3. Daemonology
Introduction
Texts
4. Divination
Introduction
Texts
5. Astrology
Introduction
Texts
6. Alchemy
Introduction
Texts
Epilogue: The Survival of Pagan Magic
Appendix: Psychoactive Substances in Religion and Magic
Vocabula Magica
Select Bibliography
Index of Ancient Sources
General Index

What People are Saying About This

"A hugely important achievement."

Daniel Ogden

A hugely important achievement.

— Daniel Ogden, author of Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds

From the Publisher

A hugely important achievement.
—Daniel Ogden, author of Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds

Editorial Reviews

A 'must' for mythology courses and the classical civilization curriculum!
--Classical Outlook

An excellent translation of ancient texts on the subject, but it's a lot more than that. It's a glimpse into the minds of the everyday people of the times and what made them turn, what made them stop, what made them look over their shoulders.
--Courier-Gazette, Rockland, Maine

An excellent work. It will rapidly and deservedly become one of the standard works on magic and the occult in the Greek and Roman worlds.
--Ancient Philosophy

This lengthy volume contains wide-ranging samples of material from literature, philosophy, and real-life practitioners of magic . . . There is immense food for thought here in many aspects of the field.
--American Journal of Philology

An indispensable guide.
--Bradford Lee Eden, Classical Bulletin

No one currently at work in ancient magic or related fields can remotely compare with Luck for the breadth and profundity of his knowledge of the literary texts . . . or for the humility and lightness of touch with which he conveys his scholarship.
--Daniel Ogden, Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft

From the Publisher

An indispensable guide.

Classical Bulletin - Bradford Lee Eden

An excellent work. It will rapidly and deservedly become one of the standard works on magic and the occult in the Greek and Roman worlds.

Ancient Philosophy

An excellent translation of ancient texts on the subject, but it's a lot more than that. It's a glimpse into the minds of the everyday people of the times and what made them turn, what made them stop, what made them look over their shoulders.

Courier-Gazette

No one currently at work in ancient magic or related fields can remotely compare with Luck for the breadth and profundity of his knowledge of the literary texts . . . or for the humility and lightness of touch with which he conveys his scholarship.

Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft - Daniel Ogden

An indispensable guide.

— Bradford Lee Eden

Classical Bulletin

"This lengthy volume contains wide-ranging samples of material from literature, philosophy, and real-life practitioners of magic... There is immense food for thought here in many aspects of the field."

American Journal of Philology

"A 'must' for mythology courses and the classical civilization curriculum!"

Classical Outlook