Magie bij de Grieken en de Romeinen

This scholarly work explores how the ancient Greeks and Romans understood and practiced magic, treating it as an active, purposeful art that claimed to tap hidden human powers and unseen intelligences. By contrasting magical rites with religious devotion, the author shows how prayer, divination, and protective charms often straddle the line between the sacred and the occult, revealing a complex web of belief that shaped everyday life.

Organized chronologically, the book examines five key phases—from the early, naïve faith of the pre‑classical world, through a period of rising skepticism, to the dramatic shift when philosophical thought began to reinterpret magical practices. Richly annotated translations of primary sources let readers hear the voices of antiquity themselves, while clear commentary explains the cultural and social forces at play.

Through careful analysis of rites, amulets, and mythic narratives, the study illuminates why magic persisted, how it was woven into religious ceremonies, and what it reveals about the ancient mind’s search for control over fate and the unseen.