Greek Magical Papyri
In 1827, a man calling himself Jean d'Anastasi sold about half a dozen papyri to major European collections. He claimed these items came from Thebes, now known as Luxor. His sales included pieces that ended up in the British Museum and the Louvre. Another papyrus, designated PGM III, was acquired by diplomat Jean-François Mimaut between 1774 and 1837. This specific document rests today within the French Bibliothèque Nationale. H. D. Betz later suggested these fragments likely originated from an ancient scholar's library based in Thebes during late antiquity. The so-called Thebes Cache also held the Stockholm papyrus and Leyden papyrus X containing alchemical texts. Anastasi gathered many other antiquities beyond just these magical scrolls.
PGM XII and XIII appeared first in print during 1843 with Greek text and Latin translation following in 1885. Charles Wycliffe Goodwin published one PGM V translated into English for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society in 1853. Karl Preisendanz collected most texts and released them in two volumes spanning 1928 to 1931. A planned third volume reached galley proofs dated Pentecost 1941 before bombing destroyed the type in Leipzig during World War II. Photocopies of those proofs circulated among scholars despite the physical loss. A revised edition arrived in 1973 and 1974 covering corrected versions plus new material. Hans Dieter Betz produced an English translation of Preisendanz's work alongside additional Demotic texts in the 1980s. These translations now allow researchers to search the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae database.
The religion within these papyri mixes Greek, Egyptian, Christian, Jewish, and Babylonian influences from Greco-Roman Egypt. Aphrodite receives the epithet Neferihri derived from Egyptian Nfr-iry.t meaning nice eyes as seen in PGM IV 1266. Zeus, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite appear not as aristocrats but as demonic figures similar to folklore. This chthonic nature reflects Egyptian beast cult traditions where terror of the divine remained familiar elements. Albrecht Dieterich noted how most texts combine multiple religions including Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish sources. Janet H. Johnson observed that understanding requires accounting for all parts written in Demotic language. Some passages contain words glossed into Old Coptic supplemented by extra signs taken from Demotic scripts. The result forms a unified approach best understood as Greco-Egyptian rather than general Greco-Roman syncretism.
Hans Dieter Betz considers these documents underground literature subject to book burnings mentioned in Acts 19:19. Augustus ordered magical books burned according to Suetonius Aug 31:1 while early Christians conducted numerous other burnings. David Frankfurter argues instead that innovative members of the Egyptian priesthood produced them during third or fourth century temple decline. Alan F. Segal questions the dichotomy between magic and religion within scholarship on the Hellenistic world. He points out that hymns exist alongside overtly magical content suggesting no distinction existed for writers. Betz cites admonitions to secrecy regarding certain practices found within specific papyri. Just how underground practitioners were remains contested despite these differing academic theories about production context.
Pages contain spells recipes formulae prayers like the Prayer of Thanksgiving interspersed with magic words such as charaktêres. These texts range from summoning dark gods to folk remedies and parlor tricks including love charms. Some rituals allow practitioners to assume deity identity through invocation and visualization during ascent operations. Many pieces function as working manuals containing repertoire spells for all occasions rather than mere scholarly compilations. Spells appear strikingly similar to defixiones curse tablets inscribed on ostraka amulets and lead tablets dating back to 500s BCE. Figurines made of various materials correspond to spell types and often found in graves sanctuaries or bodies of water. Lead coffins sometimes hold inscribed curses stressing the border between life and death common theme in Greek magic.
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Common questions
Who sold Greek Magical Papyri to European collections in 1827?
Jean d'Anastasi sold about half a dozen papyri to major European collections in 1827. He claimed these items came from Thebes, now known as Luxor.
When was the third volume of Karl Preisendanz's collection destroyed?
A planned third volume reached galley proofs dated Pentecost 1941 before bombing destroyed the type in Leipzig during World War II. Photocopies of those proofs circulated among scholars despite the physical loss.
What religious influences appear within the Greek Magical Papyri texts?
The religion within these papyri mixes Greek, Egyptian, Christian, Jewish, and Babylonian influences from Greco-Roman Egypt. Aphrodite receives the epithet Neferihri derived from Egyptian Nfr-iry.t meaning nice eyes as seen in PGM IV 1266.
Why did Augustus order magical books burned according to Suetonius Aug 31:1?
Augustus ordered magical books burned according to Suetonius Aug 31:1 while early Christians conducted numerous other burnings. Hans Dieter Betz considers these documents underground literature subject to book burnings mentioned in Acts 19:19.
How do spells in the Greek Magical Papyri compare to defixiones curse tablets?
Spells appear strikingly similar to defixiones curse tablets inscribed on ostraka amulets and lead tablets dating back to 500s BCE. Lead coffins sometimes hold inscribed curses stressing the border between life and death common theme in Greek magic.