Product Description

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

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232915 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: Latin
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 568 pages

Review

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

"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

"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, Rockland, Maine

"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

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.

Customer Reviews

Excellent collection of ancient occult texts
Arcana Mundi handily collects -- in neat, new translations -- excerpts from Greek & Roman authors concerning all aspects of the occult in the classical world: witches and spells, astrology, divination and much more. The texts are grouped in thematic chapters, for each of which the author has also provided essays introducing the various subjects and providing background details which illuminate the selected passages.

This is a good book for the non-specialist, not assuming prior knowledge and largely free of academic jargon. Selections range from the authentic spells of the Egyptian Magical Papyri to poetical descriptions of magic, the underworld and witches from Homer, Virgil, Lucan and so on.

The result is something not unlike Frazer's The Golden Bough -- an exploration of superstitions and irrational beliefs of the ancient world, as revealed by contemporary sources. Highly readable and informative for anyone who wants to delve into the byways of classical literature.

For anyone fascinated by the subject, there are many examples of such Greco-Roman occultism on offer in "Amida: A Novel", ISBN 0954747305