Magic and Witchcraft in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt

Flashcards covering key concepts about magic and witchcraft in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, including definitions, practitioners, social roles, beliefs, and significant artifacts.

What time period and geographical region does 'Ancient Mesopotamia' primarily refer to?

Circa the first millennium B.C.E., situated within the Tigris-Euphrates rivers (northern part of the Fertile Crescent), encompassing most of modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran-Iraq borders.

How is our understanding of ancient Mesopotamian society largely derived?

From copied and edited texts composed by scribal scholars, usually written in Akkadian.

What topics do a large portion of Mesopotamian texts deal with?

Magic and medicine, including descriptions of symptoms, diagnoses, ritual and medical (usually herbal mixtures) prescriptions, and incantations.

What were the two main types of 'magic/healer' practitioners in ancient Mesopotamia?

Ashipu (exorcist or magician) and Asu (physician or herbalist).

What was the role of an Ashipu?

To diagnose the ailment (which god or demon was causing illness) and attempt to cure the patient by means of charms and spells designed to drive out the spirit causing the disease.

What was the role of an Asu?

To deal with empirical applications of medication, such as washing, bandaging, and making plasters for treating wounds.

How were early Mesopotamian 'witches' or magic practitioners viewed by the community?

They were seen as vital and beneficial members of the community, helping through magical abilities and medical knowledge, akin to Shamanism.

What led to the division of magic in Mesopotamian culture?

As Mesopotamian culture became more urban and centralized authorities developed, distinctions materialized between an 'exorcist' (officially labeled Ashipu) and 'popular witchcraft'.

How did the Ashipu transform popular rites and knowledge?

They incorporated and placed them under official temple authority, transforming traditional incantations into prayer and hymns to specific gods/goddesses, and revising rites to reinforce official temple themes and ideologies.

Who primarily consisted of the clientele for an Ashipu after the division of magic?

Central administrations and the private upper class, meaning rituals became reserved for higher levels of society.

What was the ramification of the Ashipu becoming the official practitioner of magic?

The Ashipu became the official and legitimate practitioner, while the witch became associated with illegitimate, malevolent, and destructive magic motivated by malice from antisocial people. They became opponents utilizing similar techniques.

What gender divide emerged as a result of the dichotomy between the exorcist and the witch in Mesopotamia?

Ashipu was primarily reserved for males, while the vast majority of the time, the witch was seen as female, leading to the stigmatization of informal female healers by institutional male healers.

Who was Pazuzu in Mesopotamian belief?

A 'demon' of the wind, capable of bringing famine, but also worn as a protection amulet against his perceived rival, the night demon Lamashtu.

What is the origin of the term 'kassapu' (witch) in Mesopotamia and what did it signify?

It derives from 'Kispu' (witchcraft) and both were referenced in relation to 'black' magic or malevolent magic, solidifying a clear polarization that Ashipu (exorcist) meant good magic and a witch meant bad magic.

What were the two distinct forms the 'new' Mesopotamian witch could take?

A powerful supernatural malevolent force who could operate in the cosmos and challenge the gods, or a superhuman who intruded upon the social order.

How did witches control and influence their victims?

Through objects they stole from people, a practice known as 'contact magic'.

What types of afflictions were commonly attributed to witches' curses in Mesopotamia?

Numerous afflictions, illnesses, general social and individual problems, bad dreams, economic breakdowns, relationship issues, loss of esteem or social rank, and primarily illnesses associated with the digestive tract and sexual dysfunctions.

What was the purpose of victims bringing their plight before a perceived divine court in Mesopotamia?

To argue their case against a witch's curse and hope the gods would rule in their favor.

What is 'The Maqlu'?

The ancient and largest Mesopotamian (Akkadian) text against 'witchcraft', consisting of eight tablets with almost 100 incantations and rituals.

What was the main goal of the anti-witchcraft ritual ceremony described in The Maqlu?

To purge and protect a victim, as well as expel perceived witches from the organized social and cosmic communities.

What were the two forms of destroying a witch in Mesopotamian belief?

The physical destruction of their person and controlling or destroying their ghost from the cosmos.

How was physical destruction of a witch typically carried out and why?

Punishment and sentence to death by burning, so her body could not be buried and resurrected, turning into smoke. Other methods included feeding the corpse to animals or removing bones from the grave.

In Ancient Egypt, what was Heka?

An animating and controlling force of the Kosmos that maintained the natural order of things, expressed in script, written or spoken, and ritual, with no distinction between the natural and supernatural.

What were the two types of magicians in Ancient Egypt?

Trained priests from established temples and 'lay' magicians, who were untrained people using magic not affiliated with any institution.

What was the role of Egyptian priest-physicians (wabu) versus lay-physicians (sunu)?

Wabu were priest-physicians, often associated with Sekhmet's priests and temples, treating illnesses like fever with magic methods, while sunu were lay-physicians not associated with any temple.

What was the highest position in the Egyptian priesthood hierarchy?

The 'high-priest' or 'First Prophet of the God', appointed by the Pharaoh, who was well-educated, an elder, and had administrative and political acuity.

What is the well-known tale of Eucrates also called, and what did it demonstrate about Egyptian magician-priests?

It is also known as 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and showcased the power and status of magician-priests, who could animate inanimate objects with incantations.

What is an amulet in the context of Ancient Egypt?

Anything worn or carried by a person for magical benefit, also called Udjaou ('Round' or 'Complete') or Mekt ('Protector'), which derived power from invoking the gods.

What was Udjat, and what was its purpose?

Udjat, or the Eye-of-Horus, was the most popular Egyptian amulet, and its purpose was to ensure good health.

What was the Ankh amulet's significance?

It represented 'Life' or 'Hand Mirror' and, while popular today, was more commonly found in paintings and sculptures than as excavated amulets.

Which symbol served a similar purpose to the Ankh amulet and was more popular in Ancient Egypt?

The Scarab, representing Kheper ('To exist') and relating to the deity Khepri, symbolizing continued existence, with its parts used for ointments and potions.

Why were words and script considered extremely powerful in Ancient Egypt?

Saying something could make it become true, especially for spells, and hieroglyphs ('Sacred Carvings'), readable only by priests, were considered magical and could become real through incantations.

What was the Rosetta Stone?

A stone slab containing the same decree inscribed in three scripts: Hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Greek, which was crucial for deciphering ancient Egyptian writing.

What were the two aspects of death preparation in Ancient Egypt?

Physical preparation (mummification) and magical practices, both occurring simultaneously to protect the body, guide the journey to the netherworld, ensure judgment by the gods, and enable existence in the new world.

What were the Ba and Ka in Ancient Egyptian death beliefs?

The Ba was the 'soul' or 'mobile spirit', and the Ka was the 'spiritual double'.

What was 'The Book of the Dead'?

Not a single work, but a collection of papyrus scrolls containing spells, incantations, prayers, hymns, and ritual instructions, combined from Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, considered essential for immortality, and where people would fill in their name on pre-made forms.

What purpose did wax figurines serve in Egyptian tombs?

Initially, they served as self-representations for the Ka to enter if the physical body was destroyed. Later, numerous figurines (ushabti) were placed to perform afterlife work, with some tombs containing over 360 to provide a worker for each day of the year.