FYS518

What is the nature of magic? Why is it said to exist? What is its relationship with religion, science, community, and power? In this course students examine some answers to these questions from the Greek and Roman world, using a variety of sources, from epic and philosophy to buried curse tablets and astrological guides. They also consider its practitioners: sorceresses, soothsayers, folk heroes, and false prophets. They compare perspectives from different Greek and Roman communities, including Greco-Roman Egypt and the Near East,; from pagan, Jewish, and Christian voices; and explore modern theories on magic's relationship to class, ethnicity, and gender.