Christopher Faraone
Christopher Faraone
Edward Olson Professor of Classics in the Department of Classics and the College
University of Chicago
Research Project
Transmission of Magical Knowledge in Antiquity: The Papyrus Magical Handbooks in Context, Part II
Project Team:
2020 – 2022
Key Question
What new insights about ancient Mediterranean religions and cultures can be found in their magic spells and recipes?
Project Summary
| Extending a research investigation begun in 2015, this project is finalizing an edited text and translation of an important corpus of ancient magical handbooks. |
The main purpose of this project is to produce a new edition and translation of the texts of the Greek, Demotic, and Coptic magical handbooks, from the second century BCE to the sixth century CE from Egypt, together with an integral study concerning the material production of these kinds of books in Antiquity as well as the dissemination of magical knowledge in the ancient Mediterranean. The standard edition of this corpus, the Papyri Graecae Magicae (1921), is outdated and ignores important material features of the papyri. A new text and translation will appear in a two-volume, bilingual edition, a resource long awaited by scholars, not only papyrologists, but also historians of ancient Mediterranean religions and cultures. The full revision of the corpus of magical formularies has also been crucial to understanding the readership and circulation of these books. A companion volume of eleven essays on book production and transmission of these handbooks will be published simultaneously by the University of Michigan Press.
The project has recently been enhanced by two parallel projects directed by members of the research team: one on the study of Coptic magic in Würzburg, and the other a database of magical drawings, the “To Zodion Project” at the Complutense in Madrid. The research team will join forces with a third project at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice focused on early Christian magic.
A spin-off of the project is already starting to take shape. The thorough revision of the corpus has allowed the research team to take a closer look at the language of the magical handbooks. The team is starting to work with colleagues at the University of Helsinki and the University of Oslo, who focus on the study of the language of the papyri.
Topics
Research Team
Sofía Torallas Tovar
Sofía Torallas Tovar
Professor of Classics and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
University of Chicago
Alberto Nodar Domínguez
Project Narrative
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
Faraone and Tovar to Receive Charles J. Goodwin Award
Faraone and Tovar to Receive Charles J. Goodwin Award
The scholars will be honored for their co-edited volume The Greco-Eqyptian Magical Formularies, featuring research supported by the Neubauer Collegium.
Late Antique Magic Handbooks: Contents, Scribal Characteristics, Contacts
Conference
Late Antique Magic Handbooks: Contents, Scribal Characteristics, Contacts
A conference on late antique magic handbooks
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 3
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 3
An international group of scholars gathered for the third event in a series of talks on ancient magical handbooks.
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 2
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 2
Egypt and Judeo-Christian Texts
8:00am Svenja Nagel (Heidelberg) Voces magicae in (Egyptian) Context(s)
8:30am Korshi Dosoo (Würzburg) Great and Unspeakable Names: Notes on Voces Magicae in Magical ...
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 1
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 1
Introduction
8:00am Panagiota Sarischouli (Thessaloniki) Introduction: Aims of the conference
8:30am Monika Amsler (Bern) Voces magicae as Intellectual Innovation: Basis and Development
Greek Papyri ...
University of Michigan Press Publishes New Volume on Magical Handbooks
University of Michigan Press Publishes New Volume on Magical Handbooks
New Approaches to the Great Paris Magical Codex
Conference
New Approaches to the Great Paris Magical Codex
The world's leading experts on ancient magical handbooks from Greco-Roman Egypt gathered to share findings and chart a path for future scholarship.
Scribes and Readers of Magical Texts in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt
Conference
Scribes and Readers of Magical Texts in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt
This conference brought scholars together to explore new trends and approaches to the study of magical texts from antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
Faraone and Tovar to Receive Charles J. Goodwin Award
Faraone and Tovar to Receive Charles J. Goodwin Award
The scholars will be honored for their co-edited volume The Greco-Eqyptian Magical Formularies, featuring research supported by the Neubauer Collegium.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
Late Antique Magic Handbooks: Contents, Scribal Characteristics, Contacts
Conference
Late Antique Magic Handbooks: Contents, Scribal Characteristics, Contacts
A conference on late antique magic handbooks
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 3
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 3
An international group of scholars gathered for the third event in a series of talks on ancient magical handbooks.
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 2
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 2
Egypt and Judeo-Christian Texts
8:00am Svenja Nagel (Heidelberg) Voces magicae in (Egyptian) Context(s)
8:30am Korshi Dosoo (Würzburg) Great and Unspeakable Names: Notes on Voces Magicae in Magical ...
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 1
Conference
Voces Magicae and the Power of the Unintelligible: Session 1
Introduction
8:00am Panagiota Sarischouli (Thessaloniki) Introduction: Aims of the conference
8:30am Monika Amsler (Bern) Voces magicae as Intellectual Innovation: Basis and Development
Greek Papyri ...
New Approaches to the Great Paris Magical Codex
Conference
New Approaches to the Great Paris Magical Codex
The world's leading experts on ancient magical handbooks from Greco-Roman Egypt gathered to share findings and chart a path for future scholarship.
Scribes and Readers of Magical Texts in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt
Conference
Scribes and Readers of Magical Texts in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt
This conference brought scholars together to explore new trends and approaches to the study of magical texts from antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Explore
Featured Project
Signs of Writing: The Cultural, Social, and Linguistic Contexts of the World’s First Writing Systems
Explore