Materia Magica: The Archaeology of Magic in Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain

377 Pages·2013·3.32 MB·English

by  Andrew T. Wilburn

Materia Magica

Materia Magica
The Archaeology of Magic in
Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain
Andrew T. Wilburn
The University of Michigan Press
Ann Arbor
Copyright © by the University of Michigan 2012
All rights reserved
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form
(beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and
except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publisher.
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press
Manufactured in the United States of America
c Printed on acid- free paper
2015 2014 2013 2012 4 3 2 1
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Wilburn, Andrew T., 1974–
Materia magica : the archaeology of magic in Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain /
Andrew T. Wilburn.
pages cm. — (New texts from ancient cultures)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 472- 11779- 6 (cloth : alkaline paper) — ISBN 978- 0- 472- 02868- 9 (e- book)
1. Magic, Ancient— History. 2. Magic, Roman— History. 3. Magic— Egypt— History— To
1500. 4. Magic— Cyprus— History— To 1500. 5. Magic— Spain— History— To 1500.
6. Egypt— Antiquities, Roman. 7. Cyprus— Antiquities, Roman.
8. Spain— Antiquities, Roman. I. Title.
BF1591.W55 2012
133.4’3093— dc23 2012047393
Dedicated to the memory of
Traianos Gagos
1960– 2010

Foreword
This book began as a seminar paper investigating the context and function of
some curious bones from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University
of Michigan. I wrote the paper for a class taught by Traianos Gagos, taken as
part of my training as a graduate student in the Interdepartmental Program in
Classical Art and Archaeology. Traianos was an amazing teacher and mentor,
and working with him on this project sparked a fascination that led directly to
this book. Over the years, I learned much through our conversations on antiq-
uity, academia, and life; Traianos was not only a teacher and adviser, but also
a dear and dearly missed friend.
I am indebted to Oberlin College and the Loeb Classical Library Founda-
tion for the financial support needed to bring the work to completion. An Ober-
lin College Grant- in- Aid and the Thomas Cooper Fund for Faculty Research
provided funding for production costs. During earlier stages of this book, I
benefited from funding provided by the Rackham School of Graduate Studies
at the University of Michigan (2000), the American Institute of Archaeology
(2002), and the Cyprus Fulbright Commission (2003). I produced the maps of
Karanis through a grant from the University of Michigan Collaborative for the
Advancement of Research and Technology (2004).
This book would not have been possible without the assistance, advice, and
encouragement of Terry Wilfong and David Frankfurter. I also owe thanks to
numerous friends and colleagues from whom I have received assistance. Chris-
topher Faraone and Jacco Dieleman read and provided insightful comments
on the opening and closing chapters. The anonymous readers of my initial
manuscript supplied important guidance. Ellen Bauerle, my editor, as well as
Alexa Ducsay at the University of Michigan Press have been instrumental in
helping me bring the project to completion. My dissertation committee, includ-
viii Foreword
ing Susan Alcock, Janet Richards, Derek Collins, and Stuart Kirsch, provided
much- needed guidance and direction. Many others provided thoughts, bibli-
ography, and encouragement along the way: Björn Anderson, Pierre Aupert,
Roger Bagnall, Nancy Bookidis, Del Chrol, James Cook, Gregory Daugherty,
Paola Davoli, Smadar Gabrelli, Jennifer Gates- Foster, Michael Given, Carla
Goodnoh, Alison Griffith, Todd Hickey, David Jordan, Thomas Landvatter,
Nikos Litinas, Daniel McCaffrey, John Pedley, C. H. Peters, Adam Rabi-
nowitz, Margaret Root, Guy Sanders, J. J. Shirley, Jim Sickinger, Gina Soter,
Stephen Tracy, and Philip Ventricinque. The support of my colleagues in the
Oberlin College Department of Classics, Thomas Van Nortwick, Kirk Ormand,
Benjamin Lee, and Christopher Trinacty, has been invaluable. John Harwood
and Amy Margaris, colleagues in art history and anthropology, as well as the
Friday working group at the Feve, provided cross- disciplinary direction. At
Oberlin College, I have benefited from the assistance of a number of talented
and dedicated undergraduate students, Gabe Baker, Ploy Keener, Christopher
Motz, Eush Tayco, Lauren Clark, Laura Wilke, and Emily Thaisrivongs.
My research required significant assistance with museum collections, and
I am grateful to the many people who helped me with archival materials and
images. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology in Ann Arbor has been instru-
mental in my work, and I wish to thank Sharon Herbert, the director, Elaine
Gazda, curator of Hellenistic and Roman antiquities, as well as Robin Meador-
Woodruff, the former registrar. Sebastían Encina and Michelle Fontenot, col-
lections managers, and Suzanne Davis and Claudia Chemello, the conservators
at the Kelsey, provided valuable assistance in locating objects and supplying
illustrations for the Karanis artifacts. I owe thanks as well to Adam Hyatt and
Arthur Verhoogt of the University of Michigan Papyrus Collection for images
of the papyrus and ostracon from Karanis. I am greatly indebted to Dr. David
S. Reese of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, who
performed faunal analysis on the bones and identified the joins. Scott Swann
of the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research and Karl Longstreth of
the University of Michigan Map Library provided important assistance. I am
grateful to Zahi Hawass and the Supreme Council of Antiquities who granted
permission to study artifacts in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and to visit the
sites of Karanis and Soknopaiou Nesos. I also owe thanks to Madam Amira
Khattab at the American Research Center in Egypt, Ann Radwan at the Egyp-
tian Fulbright Commission, Mr. Adel Mahmoud, the curator of the New King-
dom at the Egyptian Museum, and Mr. Lotfy Abed Elhamid, who provided
Foreword ix
me with access to Karanis objects in the museum and in the storerooms. At
the British Museum, I am grateful to J. Leslie Fitton, Keeper of Greece and
Rome, and to Thomas Kiely who provided assistance with the material from
Amathous as well as the correspondence related to the acquisition of the tab-
lets. The Trustees of the British Museum kindly provided permission to print
images of the tablets. On Cyprus, I benefited from the resources of the Cyprus
American Archaeological Research Institute, and wish to thank Tom Davis,
the director, Vathoulla Moustoukki, the executive assistant, and Diana Con-
stantides, the former librarian. In the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, I am
greatly indebted to Sophocles Hadjisavvas and Pavlos Floruentzos, directors
of the department, as well as to Depso Pilidou and Yiannis Violitis in Nico-
sia and Eleni Procopiou in Limassol. In Spain I benefited from the assistance
of Xavier Aquilué Abadias, of the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, as
well as Marta Santos Retolaza and Joaquim Tremoleda Trilla at the Empúries
museum. I am grateful for their permission to reprint the map from Empúries
as well as images of the curse tablets and their ceramic vessels. The Museo
Nazionale Romano kindly provided an image of the curse tablet from the cache
found near the San Sebastiano gate. I also thank Anne- Laure Ranoux and the
Musée du Louvre for providing the image of the pierced female doll. Robert
Daniel of the Cologne Papyrus Collection kindly provided access to the wax
figurines from north of Assiut.
My sincere thanks are due to my parents, Aaron and Nancy Wilburn, aunts
Annette Wilburn and Janice McCouch, and to my sister and brother in-l aw,
Robin and Ravic Nijbroek, for years of support. I truly owe the completion of
this manuscript, however, to my loving wife, Maureen Peters, for her tireless
patience, assistance, and encouragement.
July 2011