The materiality of magic / edited by Dietrich Boschung and Jan N. Bremmer.

Date:
[2015]
  • Books

About this work

Description

In the last two decades we have had many books and proceedings of conferences on the history, formulas and incantations of magic in antiquity, both in East and West, but this is the first book of its kind that focuses on the material aspects of magic, such as gems, rings, drawings, grimoires, amulets and figurines. In recent years scholars have focused not only on the discourse and practices of magic in antiquity, but also on its practitioners, literary stereotypes and historical shifts. Much less attention, however, has been paid to the material that was used by the magicians for their curses and incantations. Yet there is no magic without materiality. The practice of magic required a specialist expertise that knew how to handle material such as lead, gold, stones, papyrus, figurines or voodoo dolls. That is why we present new insights on the materiality of magic by studying both the materials used for magic as well as the books in which the expertise was preserved.--Publisher.

Publication/Creation

Paderborn : Verlag Wilhelm Fink, [2015]

Physical description

422 pages, 15 pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    BVG.AA1
    Open shelves

Permanent link

Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9783770557257
  • 3770557255