Magic, as with many terms in the study of religion, is a frequently contested term. It is difficult to define yet there is a great deal of interest in practices that are described as magical; there is often a fascination with the practitioners and commissioners of magical activities, the details of what those practices entail, and the underlying mechanisms with which magic might be conceived to operate. In Drawing Down the Moon: Magic in the Ancient Greco-Roman World author Radcliffe G. Edmonds III situates ancient magical practices squarely alongside other common human activity in the Greco-Roman world that permeated daily life.
Edmonds takes a highly cross-disciplinary approach, using data typical of the field of Classics, data that is in itself highly varied in form and source—and regards that data alongside the theoretical frameworks of religious studies and anthropology. Throughout the book Edmonds takes care to explain the methodologies used by scholars who study magical practice in the Greco-Roman period and the author notes changes over time in how these activities have been regarded within the relevant academic fields. Similarly, critical issues involved in the study of magic and religion are specifically handled in their own chapters and subsequently noted where applicable. A particular strength of this book is Edmonds’ attention to not only the broad social contexts surrounding magic but also his frequent assertions that magical practices were responses to very real human concerns, often used by people experiencing desperation in the face of difficulties against which they otherwise felt unempowered, and as such they offer insight into some of the strongest hopes and fears that people had.
The book’s organizational structure reflects specific concern with definition as evidenced by a focus on definition in both the first and final chapters of the text. The introduction pointedly examines “magic” as a category, acknowledging the value-loaded history of the term as used in popular parlance, as well as reviews scholarly attempts at both problematizing and qualifying the term by theorists such as J.Z. Smith and Bronislaw Malinowsky. “Religion” and “ritual” are terms that are introduced and appropriately subjected to scrutiny in the first chapter. The final chapter returns to the topic of definition, reconsidering “magic” as a category and exploring the social locations of both those who were professed magicians and those accused of working magic.
Having established some working terminology as well as orienting the reader spatially and temporally, the bulk of the text then moves on to focus on specific practices. In the description of these practices Edmonds thoroughly examines the extant knowledge of various invocations, curses, divinations, and prayers. Archeological evidence in the form of remaining ritual items including apotropaic amulets and Iunx objects are discussed in detail with useful photographs provided as reference. Textual evidence also corroborates the use of the various listed artifacts as well as magic use in general. This evidence includes descriptions from ancient sources such as plays and works of political rhetoric, inscriptions on magical items themselves, and instructional texts such as those found in the Greek Magical Papyri that directed magic users on the production and use of magical procedures and items. Chapters address specific categories of magical practice including general cursing, love charms and erotic curses, healing and protective magic, divination, astrology, and alchemy. Interspersed with descriptions of these specific types of magical practice are chapters on the perceived relationships magic users were imagined to have with divine forces and the connections between ancient Greco-Roman magic and broader philosophical traditions.
Drawing Down the Moon brings together a wide range of well-curated examples and draws upon sophisticated models of religion in order to offer the reader a glimpse at how diverse and deeply entrenched magical practice was in ancient Greco-Roman culture. Although the theoretical discussions and material covered are wide-ranging the text remains organized and cohesive. Edmonds’ conscientious examination of sources, and his exploration of the placement of the work within the world it was created, make this text much more than simply a survey of practices. And although the book is rigorously academic, it remains very accessible. The writing is engaging, sometimes with a bit of humour, and the author carefully leads the reader through relevant issues of definition and category so as not to assume a high level of preexisting knowledge. As such, this text is an excellent resource not only for readers actively studying or working in disciplines such as Classics or religion but for anyone generally interested the ancient Greco-Roman world or magic and the occult
Melody Everest is a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Alberta.
Melody Everest
Date Of Review:
June 11, 2024
