Arcana Mundi

Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts
2. Auflage 2006
ISBN: 978-0-8018-8346-0
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 568 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 952 g

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."

Autoren/Hrsg.

Luck, Georg

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Griechische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Literaturwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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

Über Autor(innen)

Luck, Georg
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.