Magic and Ritual Ancient in Egypt and Mesopotamia: A History and Historiography

Catalog description

Who were the Witches in Mesopotamia? What were the roles of the Priests of Sekhmet and who was the Goddess Gula? Have we understood witch, priest, or goddess through a Western lens? Extensive collections of writings and amulets from both ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia preserve incantations and instructions for ritual practice in a plethora of social contexts, such as in the temple, to heal the sick, to harm one’s enemies, or during funerary rites. Consideration of manuscript users and contents illuminate these societies in ways unlike other sources from the ancient world, and through studying the history of their interpretation, one can learn much about the fields of Egyptology and Assyriology. Using texts in translation, with the option also for translating original manuscripts, students will take a comparative look at the complex webs of experience to which these manuscripts pertain.