Chapter 13 The Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri
In: Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic
Author:
Jacco Dieleman
Jacco Dieleman
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Abstract
This chapter explores the texts known as the “Greek and Demotic Magical Papyri” as manifestations of Greco-Egyptian private ritual arising from scribal culture in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. The chapter focuses on the ritual papyri themselves, providing a historical survey of major editions of ritual papyri. The second half of the chapter gives an overview of the various types of rituals contained within these manuals, with goals such as: knowledge, control, protection, and healing. The chapter concludes with observations on the historical transformations of Egyptian ritual papyri and the combination of Egyptian materials with Greco-Egyptian idioms.