Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome - Ingram Academic — Witchcraft Wicca

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Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome - Ingram Academic

Name: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome - Ingram Academic
Price: 49.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780812217056

✍️ Bengt Ankarloo, Stuart Clark

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$49.95

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This scholarly volume delves deep into the origins of European magic and witchcraft, charting its evolution across Ancient Greece and Rome. Spanning over a millennium, from the heroic age of Homer to the rise of Christianity, it meticulously examines how supernatural beliefs intertwined with cultural shifts. The work integrates historical, anthropological, and psychological perspectives, revealing the complex tapestry of ancient magical practices and their enduring influence on Western thought.

Ankarloo, Bengt; , Clark, Stuart

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Praise for this book

“Wide-ranging, well-documented, up-to-date. . . . Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: Ancient Greece and Rome is deliberately designed as an introduction for the general reader, and it fulfills that function admirably.”

— Peter Green

🏛 University of Pennsylvania Press 📅 1999 📖 384 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780812217056

Fun Fact

This volume is an essential anchor in the broader 'Witchcraft and Magic in Europe' series, offering a robust, scholarly deep dive into classical antiquity's magical landscape. Its strength lies in its comprehensive scope and its innovative synthesis of diverse academic fields. While it might prove dense for casual readers seeking light magical lore, serious students of history, religion, and the occult will find it an indispensable resource for understanding the ancient roots of European magic.

📝 Description: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome - Ingram Academic

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2000 The roots of European witchcraft and magic lie in Hebrew and other ancient Near Eastern cultures and in the Celtic, Nordic, and Germanic traditions of the Continent. For two millennia, European folklore and ritual have been imbued with the belief in the supernatural, yielding a rich trove of histories and images. The six volumes in the series Witchcraft and Magic in Europe combine traditional approaches of political, legal, and social historians with critical syntheses of cultural anthropology, historical psychology, and gender studies. The series provides a modern, scholarly survey of the supernatural beliefs of Europeans from ancient times to the present day. Each volume contains the work of distinguished scholars chosen for their expertise in a particular era or region. The chronological scope of this volume ranges from the heroic age of Homer's Greek East to the time of the rise of Christianity, a period of well over a thousand years. In this long millennium the political and cultural landscapes of the Mediterranean basin underwent significant changes, as competing creeds and denominations rose to the fore, and often accused each other of sorcery. Other volumes in the series Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: Biblical and Pagan Societies The Middle Ages The Period of the Witch Trials The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries The Twentieth Century

💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Ankarloo and Clark deliver a meticulously researched academic tome that is indispensable for serious students of history and religion. However, casual readers or those seeking accessible, narrative-driven occult guides will likely find this work dense and dry. It demands patience and a willingness to engage with scholarly analysis rather than entertaining storytelling. The book does not suit those looking for practical spell-casting instructions or light reading; instead, it appeals strictly to those prepared to tackle the complex tapestry of ancient beliefs through rigorous historical and anthropological lenses.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars, historians of religion, and dedicated practitioners of esoteric traditions will find immense value in this rigorous examination of ancient magical practices. By integrating historical, anthropological, and psychological perspectives, the text offers a comprehensive understanding of how supernatural beliefs evolved alongside cultural shifts from Homer’s era to early Christianity. It is essential for those seeking to unearth the deep, complex roots of European magic and understand the enduring influence these ancient frameworks exert on modern Western thought. This work provides the necessary depth for anyone wanting to move beyond superficial myths into the nuanced reality of antiquity's magical worldview.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're drawn to the deep history of magical practices, classical antiquity, or the complex interplay between culture and belief, this scholarly exploration offers unparalleled depth. It's ideal for those seeking rigorous academic insight into the supernatural world of ancient civilizations.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Ankarloo and Clark deliver a meticulously researched academic tome that is indispensable for serious students of history and religion. However, casual readers or those seeking accessible, narrative-driven occult guides will likely find this work dense and dry. It demands patience and a willingness to engage with scholarly analysis rather than entertaining storytelling. The book does not suit those looking for practical spell-casting instructions or light reading; instead, it appeals strictly to those prepared to tackle the complex tapestry of ancient beliefs through rigorous historical and anthropological lenses.

❓ Frequently asked questions

It covers the extensive era from Homer's heroic age in ancient Greece through the Roman Empire, up to the significant advent of Christianity, encompassing more than a thousand years of cultural evolution.

The series stands out by integrating diverse academic disciplines—including social history, cultural anthropology, and gender studies—to provide a comprehensive, scholarly examination of supernatural beliefs throughout European history.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Foundations of European Magic

This volume meticulously traces the diverse origins of European magical traditions, exploring their deep connections to ancient Near Eastern, Celtic, Nordic, and Germanic cultures. It highlights how these foundational beliefs were woven into the fabric of Greek and Roman societies, influencing their folklore and rituals long before the Christian era.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Moving beyond traditional historical accounts, the series adopts a multifaceted approach. It synthesizes insights from political, legal, and social history with critical analyses from cultural anthropology, historical psychology, and gender studies, offering a richer, more nuanced understanding of ancient supernatural beliefs and practices.

Cultural Transformation

The book navigates a period of profound change across the Mediterranean, witnessing the rise and fall of empires and the emergence of new spiritual paradigms. It explores how shifting political landscapes and the competition between various creeds shaped the perception and practice of magic from antiquity to the early Christian era.

📜 Historical context

This volume is part of a landmark series dedicated to mapping the historical trajectory of witchcraft and magic across Europe. It firmly places the study of ancient magical traditions within a broader academic framework, bridging classical studies with the evolving fields of cultural history and the anthropology of belief systems.

📚 Glossary

Esotericism
Syncretism
Paganism

📔 Questions to reflect on

Considering the blend of ancient Near Eastern and European traditions, how might modern magical practices still echo these foundational influences?
How does an interdisciplinary approach, combining history with psychology and anthropology, enrich your understanding of ancient supernatural beliefs compared to a purely historical view?
Reflect on the cultural shifts discussed in the book. How did the rise of new creeds like Christianity impact the perception and practice of magic in the Roman world?