Magic in the Ancient Greek World (Blackwell Ancient Religions)

Derek Collins’s Magic in the Ancient Greek World is a scholarly yet accessible study of magic as a social practice and religious phenomenon in ancient Greece. The book examines how spells, drugs, curse tablets, figurines, and other ritual techniques were used, and considers the practitioners who performed them and the communities that responded to them.

Through focused case studies, Collins explores how magic was understood to work, whether its effectiveness depended on belief, and how magical practices related to everyday Greek life. The study places individual rituals within their wider intellectual, social, and religious context, making it suitable for readers interested in ancient history, Greek religion, classical studies, anthropology, and the history of magic.