Material Approaches to Roman Magic : Occult Objects and Supernatural Substances

This second volume in the new TRAC Themes in Roman Archaeology series seeks to push the research agendas of materiality and lived experience further into the study of Roman magic, a field that has, until recently, lacked object-focused analysis. Building on the pioneering studies in Boschung and Bremmer's (2015) Materiality of Magic, the editors of the present volume have collected contributions that showcase the value of richly-detailed, context-specific explorations of the magical practices of the Roman world. By concentrating primarily on the Imperial period and the western provinces, the various contributions demonstrate very clearly the exceptional range of influences and possibilities open to individuals who sought to use magical rituals to affect their lives in these specific contexts – something that would have been largely impossible in earlier periods of antiquity. Contributions are presented from a range of museum professionals, commercial archaeologists, university academics and postgraduate students, making a compelling case for strengthening lines of communication between these related areas of expertise.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Materials, Approaches, Substances, and Objects
Stuart McKie and Adam Parker

2. The Medium Matters: Materiality and Metaphor in Some Latin Curse Tablets
Celia Sánchez Natalías

3. Phallic Magic: A Cross Cultural Approach to Roman Phallic Small Finds
Alissa Whitmore

4. Little Bottles of Power: Roman Glass Unguentaria in Magic, Ritual, and Poisoning
Thomas Derrick

5. Victory of Good over Evil? Amuletic Animal Images on Roman Engraved Gems
Idit Sagiv

6. ‘The Bells! The Bells!’ Approaching Tintinnabula in Roman Britain and Beyond
Adam Parker

7. Rubbing and Rolling, Burning and Burying: The Magical Use of Amber in Roman London
Glynn Davis

8. Linking Magic and Medicine in Early Roman Britain: The ‘Doctor’s’ Burial, Stanway, Camulodunum
Nicky Garland

9. The Archaeology of Ritual in the Domestic Sphere: Case Studies from Karanis and Pompeii
Andrew Wilburn

10. The Legs, Hands, Head and Arms Race: The Human Body as a Magical Weapon in the Roman World
Stuart McKie

11. Amulets, the Body and Personal Agency
Véronique Dasen

Adam Parker is Assistant Curator of Archaeology at York Museums Trust, as well as a PhD candidate at the Open University researching the archaeology of magic in Roman Britain.

Stuart McKie is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Manchester. He completed his PhD, which was on the social significance of curse tablets in the Roman north-west, at the Open University in 2016