Magic in the Ancient Mediterranean

In this course we will mainly focus on the magical rituals (e.g. curses, necromancy, erotic spells, amulets and divination) practiced in the ancient Mediterranean beginning with the Greeks in archaic times and ending with the fall of the Roman Empire, with some discussion of Near Eastern and Egyptian influence at the beginning and Jewish and Christian reception at the end.  Course requirements include a midterm and final and the option to write a paper.