About the author
Matthew W. Dickie is a classical scholar whose Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World (Routledge, 2001 and 2002 editions) was the first study to systematically assemble the evidence for practicing sorcerers in antiquity. The book examines who these figures actually were, their social origins, and how magic functioned as a trade and a social category across Greek and Roman society, drawing on legal, literary, and documentary sources to reconstruct a world of wandering holy men and women, professional curse-writers, and itinerant magical practitioners operating at the margins of respectable society. Dickie's approach is historical and philological rather than esoteric, treating ancient magic as a social and legal phenomenon to be documented rather than a tradition to be practiced. The book remains a standard academic reference for classicists and historians of religion working on magic in the ancient Mediterranean world.
📖 Where to start with Matthew W Dickie
💬 What our editors say about Matthew W Dickie's books
“Dickie’s seminal study is a groundbreaking achievement for specialists eager to delve into the obscure identities of Greco-Roman magicians. By analyzing previously scattered evidence, he illuminates the societal roles of…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World
“Dickie delivers a masterful archaeological reconstruction of ancient magical practitioners, offering deep sociological insights rarely seen in general occult literature. The breadth of evidence regarding the identity and social…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World
