To the modern mind, the word “magic” likely conjures up im- ages of Hogwarts and other fantastical and exclusive realms.
Yet in the ancient world, magic was not only a perceived reality, but was also accessible to many people.
Surviving literature and archaeological remains from ancient societies surrounding the Mediterranean, including those of Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome, reveal the extent to which magic pervaded most aspects of life in antiquity.
Magic, often overlapping with what today might be considered science or religion, was a resource for mediating one’s interaction with society and the world. It was a source of protection; a means for healing; a method for ensuring success in business, love, and reproduction; and a platform for predicting the uncertain future.
It even lay at the root of many funerary practices. Thus, from birth until death, magic touched all stages of human life.
PROTECTION
Ancient practitioners employed both helpful, defensive magic and harmful, offensive magic, which might be thought of in modern terms as “white” or “black” magic.
The former includes apotropaic, or protective, magic. Apotropaic magic was predicated upon a belief that certain depictions, texts, or practices shielded the user from harm. For example, thousands of phallic-shaped amulets, which warded off evil and misfortune for the wearer,
