Greek Magical Papyri

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The Greek Magical Papyri (Latin Papyri Graecae Magicae, abbreviated PGM) is the name
given by scholars to a body of papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt, which each contain a number
of magical spells, formulae, hymns and rituals. The materials in the papyri date from the 2nd
century BC to the 5th century AD.[1] The manuscripts came to light through the antiquities trade,
from the 18th century onwards. One of the best known of these texts is the so-called Mithras
Liturgy.[2]
The texts were published in a series, and individual texts are referenced using the
abbreviation PGM plus the volume and item number. Each volume contains a number of spells
and rituals. Further discoveries of similar texts from elsewhere have been allocated PGM
numbers for convenience.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1 History
o

1.1 Discovery

1.2 Publication

2 Content

3 Religion in Greco-Roman Egypt

4 See also

5 References

6 Bibliography

7 Further reading

History[edit]
Discovery[edit]
The first papyri in the series appeared on the art market in Egypt in the early 19th century. The
major portion of the collection is the so-called Anastasi collection. About half a dozen of the
papyri were purchased in about 1827 by a man calling himself Jean d'Anastasi, who may have
been Armenian, and was a diplomatic representative at the Khedivial court in Alexandria. [3] He
asserted that he obtained them at Thebes (modern Luxor), and he sold them to various major
European collections including the British Museum, the Louvre, the Bibliothque Nationale in
Paris, the Staatliche Museen in Berlin and the Rijksmuseum of antiquities in Leiden. H. D. Betz
who edited a translation of the collection states that these pieces probably came from the
library of an ancient scholar and collector of late antiquity based in Thebes. Anastasi acquired
a great number of other papyri and antiquities as well. [1] The "Thebes Cache" also contained
the Stockholm papyrus and Leyden papyrus X containing alchemical texts.[4] Another papyrus

(PGM III) was acquired by Jean Francois Mimaut and ended up in the French Bibliothque
Nationale.[1]

Publication[edit]
PGM XII and XIII were the first to be published, appearing in 1843 in Greek and in a Latin
translation in 1885.[1][5]
In the early twentieth century Karl Preisendanz collected the texts and published them in two
volumes in 1928 and 1931. A projected third volume, containing new texts and indices,
reached the stage of galley proofs dated "Pentecost 1941", but the type was destroyed during
the bombing of Leipzig in the Second World War. Photocopies of the proofs circulated among
scholars. A revised and expanded edition of the texts was published in 1973-4 in two volumes.
Volume 1 was a corrected version of the first edition volume 1, but volume 2 was entirely
revised and the papyri originally planned for vol. III were included. The indexes were omitted,
however.[1] The PGM can now be searched in theThesaurus Linguae Graecae database and
various concordances and dictionaries have been published.[citation needed] The most recent addition
was the book Abrasax, published by Nephilim Press in 2012.

Content[edit]
Many of these pieces of papyrus are pages or fragmentary extracts from spell books,
repositories of arcane knowledge and mystical secrets. As far as they have been
reconstructed, these books appear to fall into two broad categories: some are compilations of
spells and magical writings, gathered by scholarly collectors either out of academic interest or
for some kind of study of magic; others may have been the working manuals of travelling
magicians, containing their repertoire of spells, formulae for all occasions. These often poorly
educated magic-users were more like showmen than the traditional Egyptian wizards, who
were a highly educated and respected priestly elite. The pages contain spells, recipes,
formulae and prayers, interspersed with magic words and often in shorthand, with
abbreviations for the more common formulae. These spells range from impressive and mystical
summonings of dark gods and daemons, to folk remedies and even parlour tricks; from
portentous, fatal curses, to love charms, cures for impotence and minor medical complaints.
[citation needed]

In many cases the formulaic words and phrases are strikingly similar to those found
in defixiones (curse tablets or binding spells, in Greek), such as those we find
inscribed on ostraka, amulets and lead tablets. Since some of these defixiones date from as
early as the sixth century BC, and have been found as far afield as Athens, Asia Minor, Rome
and Sicily (as well as Egypt), this provides a degree of continuity and suggests that some
observations based on the PGM will not be altogether inapplicable to the study of the wider
Greco-Roman world.[citation needed]
Throughout the spells found in the Greek Magical Papyri, there are numerous references to
figurines. They are found in various types of spells, including judicial, erotic and just standard
cursing that one might associate with Haitian voodoo (Vodou). The figurines are made of
various materials, usually corresponding to the type of spell, but often with liminal properties,
as is frequent in a number of elements of Greek Magic. Such figurines have been found
throughout the Mediterranean basin, usually in places that the ancient Greeks associated
with the underworld; graves, sanctuaries or bodies of water, all stressing the liminality of
Greek magic. Some have been discovered in lead coffins, upon which the spell or curse has
been inscribed.

Religion in Greco-Roman Egypt[edit]

The religion of the Papyri Graecae Magicae is an elaborate syncretism of Greek, Egyptian,
Jewish (see Jewish magical papyri), and even Babylonian and Christian religious influences
engendered by the unique milieu of Greco-Roman Egypt. This syncretism is evident in the
Papyri in a variety of ways. Often the Olympians are given attributes of their Egyptian
counterparts; alternatively this could be seen as Egyptian deities being referred to by Greek
names.[citation needed] For example Aphrodite (who was associated with the Egyptian Hathor), is
given the epithet Neferihrifrom the Egyptian Nfr-iry.t, "nice eyes" (PGM IV. 1266).
Within this profusion of cultural influences can still be seen classical Greek material, and
perhaps even aspects of a more accessible "folk-religion" than those preserved in the
mainstream literary texts.[dubious discuss] Sometimes the Greek gods depart from their traditional
Olympian natures familiar to Classicists, and seem far more chthonic, demonic and bestial.
This is partly the influence of Egyptian religion, in which beast cult and the terror of the divine
were familiar elements; equally the context of magical texts makes such sinister deities
appropriate.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

List of occultists

List of magicians

Magic in the Greco-Roman World

Papyrology

Ephesia Grammata

Mithras Liturgy

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Hans Dieter Betz (ed), The Greek Magical Papyri in translation, University
of Chicago Press, 1985, p.xli.
2. Jump up^ Ronald Hutton, Witches, Druids and King Arthur, 2006, p.116: "The most famous of
these texts is the so-called Mithras liturgy...".
3. Jump up^ Fowden, Garth (1986). The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late
Pagan Mind. CUP Archive. ISBN 0-521-32583-8.
4. Jump up^ Long, Pam O (2004). Openness Secrecy Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture
of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801866067. ISBN 08018-6606-5
5. Jump up^ C. Leemans, Papyri graeci musei antiquarii publici Lugduni-Batavi, 2 vols. Brill: 1843,
1885.

Bibliography[edit]

Preisendanz, K. et al. (1928-1931 first ed.) Papyri Graecae Magicae. Die Griechischen
Zauberpapyri. (2 vols)

Preisendanz, K., Albert Henrichs (1974-1974 second ed.) Papyri Graecae Magicae.
Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri. (2 vols) Stuttgart: Teubner.

Betz, H. D. et al. (1986) The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. Including the
Demotic Texts. University of Chicago Press.

Muoz Delgado, L. (2001) Lxico de magia y religin en los papiros mgicos

griegos. Diccionario Griego-Espaol. Anejo V. Madrid: CSIC.

Further reading[edit]

William M. Brashear, The Greek Magical Papyri, Aufstieg und Niedergang der
rmischen Welt II, 18.5 (1995), pp. 33803730, limited preview online.

[Magic papyri at lib.umich.edu http://www.lib.umich.edu/traditions-magic-lateantiquity/rb.display.html]

Categories:
Ancient Egyptian literature

Hellenistic religion

Occult texts

Greco-Roman Egypt

, .

(: [*], : Papyri
Graecae Magicae [*], : Greek Magical Papyri)
. "Greek Magical Papyri" "Papyri Graecae Magicae"
PGM .

, ,[1]
. .
2 5 .
(Giovanni Anastasi: 1780-1860) 1827
.[2] " (Thebes Cache)" ,
(Stockholm papyrus) X(Leyden
papyrus X) .[3] 1840 1850
.
20 (Karl Preisendanz)
1928 1931 2 . 1974
2 2 .

 []

(Magic in the Greco-Roman World)

(Papyrology)

(Ephesia Grammata ())

[]
1. Faraone, Christopher A. (2001). Ancient Greek Curse Tablets (). 2008 4 11
.
2. Fowden, Garth (1986). The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan
Mind (). CUP Archive. ISBN 0521325838.
3. Openness Secrecy Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowedge from
Antiquity to the Renaissance (). JHU Press. 2004. ISBN 0801866065, 9780801866067 |
isbn= (). | 1=() | 1=() ()

[]

() Preisendanz, K. et al. (1928-1931 first ed.) Papyri Graecae Magicae. Die

Griechischen Zauberpapyri. (2 vols)

() Preisendanz, K., Albert Henrichs (1974-1974 second ed.) Papyri Graecae

Magicae. Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri. (2 vols) Stuttgart: Teubner.

() Betz, H. D. et al. (1986) The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. Including the
Demotic Texts. University of Chicago Press.

() Muoz Delgado, L. (2001) Lxico de magia y religin en los papiros mgicos

griegos. Diccionario Griego-Espaol. Anejo V. Madrid: CSIC.

() William M. Brashear, "The Greek Magical Papyri", Aufstieg und Niedergang der
rmischen Welt II, 18.5 (1995), pp. 33803730, limited preview online.
:

Papirs mgics grecs

A aquest article li manca una segona llegida per acabar de revisar la
traducci. Collaboreu-hi!

Els Papirs mgics grecs (comunament abreujat com PGM, del ttol en llat Papyri Graecae
Magicae ; papyri s plural de Papirus ) s un terme collectiu per a una collecci de textos,
escrits la majoria en grec antic (per tamb en copte, egipci demtic, etc.), trobats en els
deserts de Egipte, que llancen llum d'alguna manera sobre el sincretisme mgic-religis de
l'Egipte grecorom i la seva rea circumdant.
Taula de continguts
[amaga]

1 Els Papirs

2 Mgia en l'Egipte grecorom

3 Religi en l'Egipte grecorom

4 Vegeu tamb

5 Referncies

6 Bibliografia

7 Nota

Els Papirs[modifica | modifica el codi]

La majoria dels papirs daten des del segle I aC al segle IV com a punt lgid, fins a arribar
al segle VII, sent representat aquest ltim lapse temporal per un material escs i de valor
insignificant.
El recull que conforma aquests papirs va ser recollida primer a principis del segle XX per
l'erudit alemany Karl Preisendanz, i publicada per ell en dos volums el 1928 i 1931. Un tercer
volum projectat (contenint nous textos i ndexs) va ser destrut durant el bombardeig
de Leipzig a la Segona Guerra Mundial.
Els nous textos van ser incorporats en l'edici de 1974 del volum II (publicada desprs de la
mort de Preisendanz), per els ndexs solament van ser difosos entre erudits en unes poques
cpies xerografiadas de les proves de composici. (Actualment els ndexs estan antiquats des
que els PGM poden ser trobats a la base de dades del Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, i des que
van ser publicades diverses concordances i diccionaris).

Mgia en l'Egipte grecorom[modifica | modifica el codi]

Molts d'aquests trossos de papir sn pgines o extractes fragmentaris del que podem
anomenar llibres d'encanteris, dipsits de coneixement arc i secrets mstics. En la mesura del
que podem reconstruir, aquests llibres es classifiquen en dues grans categories: alguns sn
compilacions d'encanteris i escriptura mgiques, recopilats per erudits colleccionistes, ja sigui
per inters acadmic o per alguna classe d'estudi sobre mgia, els altres poden haver estat
els manuals de treball de mags viatjants, contenint el seu repertori de conjurs, frmules per a
totes les ocasions. Sovint eren usuaris de mgia amb una baixa formaci podent ser
considerats millor com persones dedicades a l'entreteniment i l'espectacle, a diferncia dels
mags tradicionals egipcis, que van tenir una elevada formaci i van respectar a l'elit
sacerdotal. Les pgines contenen encanteris, receptes, frmules i oracions, intercalat amb

paraules mgiques i sovint en taquigrafia, amb abreviatures per a les frmules ms comunes.
Aquests encanteris s'estenen des de les convocacions impressionants i mstiques de dus
foscos i dimonis, a remeis populars i fins i tot trucs de sala, de portentoses malediccions
mortals, a encantaments d'amor, cures per a la impotncia i dolncies mdiques menors.
En molts casos les formulacions de paraules i frases sn sorprenentment similars a aquelles
trobades en defixiones (tauletes de maledicci o encanteris vinculants, en grec),
com aquelles que trobem inscrites en ostraka, amulet es i pastilles de plom.
Ats que algunes d'aquestes defixiones daten des de tan primerenc com el segle VI aC, i han
estat trobades en llocs tan allunyats com Atenes, sia Menor, Roma i Siclia (i tamb Egipte),
aix proporciona un grau de continutat i suggereix que algunes observacions basades en els
PGM no seran del tot inaplicables a la investigaci del ms ampli mn greco-rom.

Religi en l'Egipte grecorom[modifica | modifica el codi]

La religi dels Papirs mgics grecs s un elaborat sincretisme d'influncies religioses gregues,
egpcies, jueves i fins i tot babilniques i cristianes, engendrades per l'entorn nic de l'Egipte
grecorom. Veiem aquest sincretisme en els papirs de moltes maneres. Sovint, els esportistes
olmpics es donen atributs dels seus homlegs egipcis; alternativament podem veure aix en
detats egpcies sent referides pels seus noms grecs. Per exemple, a Afrodita (que era
associada amb l'egpcia Hathor) s donat el nom apotropaico egipci Neferieris (l'antic idioma
egipci NFR-iry.t, que significa la de bells ulls).[1]
Dins d'aquesta cacofonia d'influncies culturals encara podem veure material de la Grcia
clssica, i potser fins i tot identificar aspectes de la ms accessible "religi popular" que
aquells conservats en els principals textos literaris. De vegades veiem els dus grecs sota una
nova llum, apareixen com detats demonaques, bestials, molt ms ctnicasque olmpiques, i
part d'una tradici ms fosca, disconforme, a la qual no estem acostumats. Sens dubte aix s
en part a causa de la influncia de la religi egpcia, en la qual el culte de la bstia i el terror
del div eren elements familiars, i igualment veiem que el context dels textos mgics fa
apropiades a aquests sinistres detats.

Vegeu tamb[modifica | modifica el codi]

Tauleta de maledicci de Pella

Tauleta de maledicci

Referncies[modifica | modifica el codi]

1.

Jump up Papir IV, 1265, en Textos de mgia en papirs grecs . Madrid: Editorial
Gredos, pgina 134.

Bibliografia[modifica | modifica el codi]

Introducci, traducci i notes Jose Luis Calvo Martnez i Maria Dolores Snchez
Romero. Textos de mgia en papirs grecs. Reimpressi 2004. Madrid: Editorial Gredos,
1987. ISBN 978-84-249-1235-2.

Luck, Georg. Mgia i cincies ocultes en el mn grec i rom. Madrid: Editorial Gredos,
1995. ISBN 978-84-249-1785-2.

Muoz Delgado, L. Lxic de mgia i religi en els papirs mgics grecs. Diccionari
Grec-Espanyol. Annex V. Madrid: CSIC, 2001.
En alemany

Preisendanz, K. et al. Papyri Graecae Magicae. Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri. Dos

volums. Berln, 1928-1931 primera edici.

- & Albert Henrichs. Papyri Graecae Magicae. Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri. Dos
volums. Stuttgart: Teubner, 1974-1974 segona edici.
En angls

Betz, H. D. et al. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. Including the Demotic Texts.
University of Chicago Press, 1986.

Nota[modifica | modifica el codi]

[amaga]

Papirs de l'Antic Egipte

Papirs famosos
(ordenats per
antiguitat)

Altres papirs

Papirs d'Abusir Papirs de Berln Papir de Moscou Papir Prisse Papir Hearst Papir Westcar Papir Rhind Papirs
Bulaq Papirs Reisner Papir de Ipuur Papir ertic Papir Edwin Smith Papir Ebers Llibre dels Morts Papir d'An
de la vaga Papir judicial de Tor Papir de les mines Papir Wilbour Papir Abbott Papirs Amherst Papirs Mayer
Greenfield Papir Hood Papir Brooklyn Papir de Mil Papir Carlsberg Papir de les lleis d'ingressos Papir Insinge

Papirs d'Elefantina Papir Magdalen Papir de Barcelona Cdex de Berln Papirs d'Oxirinc (Papir 52 i Papirs del No
Egerton Papir de Zsim de Panpolis Papir d'Artemidor Papir de Leiden Papirs mgics grecs

Vegeu tamb: Llista de papirs egipcis Papir

Categories:
Cultura de l'antic Egipte

Mgia

Mitologia egpcia

Manuscrits