EGMT 1520: Ancient Magic

This Engagements course explores the theorization and practice of magic in the ancient Mediterranean, especially by Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Christians. We will particularly explore how magic was developed and enacted by analyzing observable evidence, crafting knowledge and empirical frameworks, and responding to environmental phenomena. How is “magic” related to “religion,” “science,” and “healthcare” in the ancient world? How did magical practices emerge in order to make sense of empirical observations? By what evidence did ancient Mediterranean people evaluate the world they lived in. How did they then attempt to change their material circumstances through magic? In this course, we will read ancient Mediterranean texts alongside the scholarship of historians and anthropologists to grapple with the category of “magic” and its relationship to the observation and attempted manipulation of empirical data.