Notes on Curses and Binding Spells in the Ancient Mediterranean

Schedule and the thematic unit

• Starting on Wednesday (this Wednesday) and the following Wednesday, there will be no class on Monday (no class next Monday). The upcoming two weeks comprise a single-week thematic unit on curses and binding spells. After these two weeks, the course will settle into a consistent week-by-week structure with a single theme per week.
• Instructor notes: Chris is focusing on binding spells within this topic area.
• There will be three meetings focused on binding spells: two are introductions to books to be used throughout the semester; the third is an article that synthesizes similar material.
• Reading plan for preparation:
  • You did not have to read the three introductory items before today, but you must read them before section on Friday.
  • These readings are framed around the ancient world and will include Greek, Latin, and anthropological terms; expect explanations during class.
• Reading assignments for specific dates:
  • Wednesday: reading by Ideno
  • Next Wednesday: reading by Blayne Storf
  • Next Friday’s discussion section: reading by Wilbur
• There is some numbering confusion in weeks labeled 0.5, 1, 2, 3; the pattern will become clearer after the initial weeks. Weeks 4, 5, 6, etc., will each cover a single topic/theme.
• The next thematic subject after binding spells will be persuasive magic.
• Administrative cue: On Canvas and the syllabus, there are questions intended to guide your reading and learning goals for each week; discussion-board prompts often pull from these opening questions.
• Question-and-answer dynamics: If you have questions about readings, Allison will elaborate during Friday’s session.

Readings, questions, and class discussion guidance

• You will find on the syllabus and on Canvas a set of guiding questions for each week; these questions help you discern what to learn from readings and lectures and what to contribute in discussions.
• A class discussion strategy will be discussed further by Allison on Friday.
• Instructor’s note about today’s materials: Today’s lecture uses a collection of images from a library of sources to stimulate conversation; captions may be sparse today as a deliberate teaching tool to encourage interpretation.
• In future lectures, captions and identifications will appear on slides to assist with interpretation, though some images may still be presented without detailed captions to prompt discussion.
• The broader goal is to examine the term magic critically: its definitions, boundaries, inclusions, and exclusions across cultures and historical periods.

Concepts: magic, curses, binding, and boundaries with knowledge

• Central theme: magic often exists at boundaries of human knowledge and action; it intersects with what later becomes “science” as modernity unfolds.
• Core questions raised by introductory readings:
  • What is included in the term magic?
  • What is excluded from the term magic?
  • How do different traditions (pagan, Christian, etc.) define or contest magical practices?
• Throughout the course, we will explore how magic overlaps with other domains (astrology, alchemy) and how practitioners understood the natural world to derive beliefs and practices that influenced later scientific developments.
• The term “magic” will be explored through objects, texts, and practices across the ancient Mediterranean and pre-modern contexts.
• The speaker notes the everyday use of “magic” in modern culture (e.g., Disney) to illustrate how common language can differ from scholarly conceptualizations.

Core artifacts and two major object categories

• The lecture introduces two major categories of objects that survive from antiquity related to magical practice:
  1) Magical gems (gemstones carved with iconography and magical associations)
  2) Other protective/magical objects (amulets, images, inscriptions, and related artifacts)
• Magical gems (definition and characteristics):
  • Semi-precious stones that have been carved; impressions made in hot wax would be convex if pressed, indicating a raised design.
  • Iconography on gems often includes gods, goddesses, or protective motifs that are exclusive to magical use.
  • The gem imagery can signal magical function even without words; some gems carry inscriptions or symbols identifying them as magical.
  • The field has expanded in recent scholarship to include gems that may have served protective or social-signaling roles, even if not explicitly labeled as magical in extant texts.
  • The scorpion motif is highlighted as a common image on similarly colored yellow stones; it may indicate astrological or protective associations, hinting at a broader category of items that blur the line between magical and secular artifacts.
• Blue glass imitating lapis lazuli as a case study:
  • Lapis lazuli was rare and valued; blue glass imitates this material.
  • An image on the blue glass (a nude or semi-nude female figure wringing out her wet hair) resembles Aphrodite/Venus in the Aphrodite Anadionomy theme, the goddess born from the sea.
  • Several gems with Aphrodite Anadionomy and an inscription around the edge demonstrate how magical naming and iconography intertwine to define object function.
  • These examples show that an image alone, without accompanying words, can designate an object as magical.
• Early and representative iconography across faiths and contexts:
  • Late antique Christian examples illustrate how iconography can be ambiguous, existing across multiple worlds (pagan, Christian, magical) and used for protective purposes.
  • A pair of objects from the British Museum: one is a metal copy of an early crucifixion depiction; the original is lost; the piece bears magical names for God and a blessing written across it.
  • The left object (early depiction) shows Jesus with distinctive features (e.g., leg positioning, ties instead of nails) and is accompanied by inscriptions invoking divine names for aid.
  • The right object demonstrates how Christian iconography can be integrated with magical inscriptions on the same object, suggesting multiple layers of meaning and potential use.
• The overlap with biblical scenes and early Christian imagery:
  • The early depictions of Jesus and his surrounding narratives appear on gemstones and amulets used for protection.
  • On the back of some objects, the same item displays a non-Christian figure (a winged deity with a halo, conquering crocodiles and scorpions), indicating a blending of protective imagery across contexts.
  • The point is that it can be difficult to determine the original intent (protective vs. devotional) for some objects, especially when iconography crosses cultural boundaries.

Protecting the vulnerable and amulets in everyday life

• Mummy portraits (Roman period) show children wearing protective amulets:
  • Leftmost two portraits depict amulet cases with rolls of text (spells) inserted on gold sheets worn around the neck.
  • Right portrait shows a girl wearing an amulet shaped like a crescent moon (a sign of protection or status) and, by contrast, boys often wore a bulla (a spherical pendant) linked to early childhood and protection.
• The coral jewelry seen on infant figures across Roman and later periods served as protective magic, reflecting a long-standing pattern of safeguarding vulnerable individuals (especially children) through magical and amuletic practices.
• The analysis emphasizes that magical protection has a strong social and ethical dimension: protecting those most vulnerable (children) has been a constant aim across broad historical contexts.

Apuleius, on literature and legal discourse surrounding magic

• The course plan includes a discussion of Apuleius, a novelist who wrote about magic and the man who was accused of being a practitioner and put on trial.
  • Apuleius’ defense (his self-written defense) will be revisited to connect literary representations of magic with legal and social concerns about magical practice.
• This duality—texts about magic and real-world legal judgments—illustrates how magic straddles storytelling and social regulation.

Period, geography, and scope of study

• The course centers on the ancient Mediterranean and the pre-modern Mediterranean with a focus on the Hellenistic and Roman periods:
  • Timeframe: Between the death of Alexander the Great (the end of the classical Greek world as a unified empire) and the late Western Roman Empire’s decline, followed by early medieval dynamics in the Mediterranean.
  • The map presented shows the Roman Empire at its greatest extent; this geographical scope helps frame the material culture of magic within a broad imperial context.
• Supplemental resources:
  • The PowerPoint and Canvas include links to additional sources for further introduction to the Greek and Roman worlds and the broader Mediterranean region.

Applications, interpretation, and synthesis across worldviews

• The readings and artifacts illustrate how different religious and philosophical systems intersect with magical practice:
  • Pagan traditions and Christianity both use iconography and textual inscriptions in protective objects.
  • The same object can serve multiple purposes (protective, devotional, magical) depending on context, audience, and interpretation.
• The discussion highlights that scholarly interpretation must account for ambiguity in the historical record, especially when material culture crosses religious and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications for study and discussion prep

• Before Friday’s section, read the assigned materials (Ideno, Blayne Storf, Wilbur) and prepare to discuss:
  • How each author approaches the definition of magic and the boundaries between magic and other forms of knowledge.
  • The role of iconography, inscriptions, and material form in signaling magical function.
  • How objects can simultaneously inhabit multiple cultural realms (pagan, Christian, magical).
• Expect to discuss how ancient people understood the natural world and how those beliefs contributed to later shifts toward scientific approaches in modernity.
• Consider the ethical and social dimensions of protective magic, especially in contexts involving children and vulnerable populations.

Summary takeaways for the unit on curses and binding spells

• Curses and binding spells function as a starting point to explore how humans attempted to exert control over others and events through magical language, imagery, and material objects.
• The visual language of binding (e.g., ropes, imprisonment) provides a concrete metaphoric framework for understanding how bound wills or actions were imagined.
• Magical gems and amuletic objects demonstrate the importance of iconography and material composition in signaling magical intent—often without written text.
• The boundary between magic and religion, and between magic and early science, is porous and context-dependent; many items reflect overlapping purposes or shared iconography across traditions.
• Real-world implications include focusing on who is protected by magic (often children) and how protective practices reveal social values and concerns in antiquity.

Quick reference terms and concepts

• Curse: a form of magical practice aimed at bringing harm or misfortune to a person or group.
• Binding spell: magic intended to restrain or control an action, person, or speech.
• Amulet: an object worn for protection.
• Bulla: a protective pendant worn by Roman boys.
• Aphrodite Anadionomy: iconography associated with Aphrodite originating from the sea-born conception myth; used on magical gems.
• Iconography: the visual imagery and identifying marks used to convey magical or religious meaning.
• Mummy portraits: naturalistic painted portraits, often worn with protective spells or amuletic items.
• Apuleius: author/subject who wrote about magic and faced legal accusations of practicing magic; his defense is part of studying magical culture.
• Astrological and alchemical boundaries: areas where magic intersects with nascent scientific inquiry in later periods.

Timeline and scope recap

• Timeframe covered: Hellenistic period through late Roman period, within the broader Mediterranean and pre-modern context.
• End goal: develop a nuanced understanding of how magical practices were embedded in daily life, religion, law, and science, and how scholars interpret these artifacts across cultures.

Resource notes

• The current lecture uses a curated image set from a library to prompt discussion; future slides will typically include dates and identifications.
• The PowerPoint in Canvas includes links to introductory sources on the Greeks, Romans, and the Mediterranean region to support foundational learning.