Magic and Witchcraft in Ancient Mesopotamia and Eygpt

Question 1

What is Pazuzu? Good or evil?

Answer 1

“typical Mesopotamian ‘demon’” – fearful, but helpful, could bring famine

worn as a protection amulet against his perceived rival; therefore also seen as a protector, against such things as plagues and other spirits

Question 2

Where is ancient Mesopotamia situated?

Answer 2

Between the Euphrate and Tigris river (northern part of the fertile crescent)

Question 3

Why was mesopotamia a highly developed institutional society/what allowed this?

Answer 3

located along rivers –> fertile, transport –> urbanization

Question 4

How did we obtain our understanding of ancient mesopotamia?

Answer 4

From copied and edited tets composed by scribal scholars – usually written in Akkadian. A large portion of these texts deal with magic and medicine – descriptions of symptoms, diagnoses, ritual and medical (usually herbal mixtures) prescriptions and incantations.

Question 5

What were the two types of “magic” practioners before urbanization in Ancient Meso?

Answer 5

1. ashipu - exorcist or magician, diagnose ailments caused by a demon or god, attempts to cure patient by means of charms and spells
2. asu - physician or herbalist - dealt with emprical applications of medication

Question 6

Describe characterisitics of the traditional mesopotamian “witch”

Answer 6

1. the early popular form was probabaly correlated with rurual beliefs and practices
2. helped community by means of magical abilities and medical knowledge
3. seen as a vital and beneficial member of community
4. akin to shamanism (vital figures that commmunicate to dieties)

Question 7

Describe the division of magic that occurred during urbanization in ancient mesopotamia

Answer 7

1. Mesopotamian culture grew to be more urban, centralized authorities developed –> social structure
2. “popular witchcraft” was transformed and re-conceptulized
3. the Ashipu reworked popular rites, knowledges, etc and incorporated and placed them under the official temple authority
4. rites were revised to incorporate and reinforce offical temple themes and ideologies
5. clients of the ashipu primarily consisted of central administrators and the private upper class

Question 8

What were the ramifications of the division of magic that occurred in ancient mesopotamia?

Answer 8

1. the ashipu became the official and legitimate practioners of magic, while the witch (akin to the asu) became associated with illegitimate practioners of magic
2. illegitimate forms of magic became associated with malevolent and destructive magic, motivated by malice from antisocial (deviant) people
3. the ashipu and the witch are now opponenets, but they utilize similar techniques to accomplish their goals
4. the first domestic and village “witches” transformed into the counterpart of the emergic class of temple exorcist
5. converesly, the ashipu becomes an agent of the gods

Question 9

Describe the gender dichotomy that occurred in ancient mesopotamia, what resulted?

Answer 9

Ashipu: primarily reserved for males
Witch: vast majority seen as females

role of informal female healer (low magic) is stigmatized by institutional male healers (high magic)

Question 10

What is the name of the “new” mesopotamian witch, and what does this name reference?

Answer 10

Kassapu - “black” magic or malevolent magic

Question 11

What were the two distinct forms of the new mesopotamian witch?

Answer 11

1. a powerful supernatural malevolent force who can operate in the cosmos (can even challenge the gods)
2. superhuman who intrudes upon the social order (social deviant)

Question 12

What are some aspects of the “new” mesopotamian witch?

Answer 12

• the witch introduces chaos into the cosmos and human realm - but, of course, can be contained by the exorcists and temple authorities
• the witch is able to control, curse, and influence victims through objects she steals from people (contact magic)

Question 13

What was one interesting witches curse in ancient mesopotamia, what is the effect?

Answer 13

opening a grave and place a representation of her victim in the lap of the deceased person –> the victim is now married to the corpse (can’t marry others now?)

Question 14

What other symptoms were seen as a witch’s curse in ancient mesopotamia? What aspects are emphasized and why?

Answer 14

• economic breakdowns, relationship isssues, loss of esteem/social rank
• primarly curses were held responsible for illnesses associated with the digestive tract and sexual dysfunctions (notabily to maintain erections and premature ejaculation)
• most psychosomatic illnesses, anxieties, and hostilities could be blamed on withcraft

emphasis on food, drink, and sex - wife duties, wife being evil therefore a witch

Question 15

How would a witch’s curse be counteracted in ancient mesopotamia?

Answer 15

1. victim’s of curses would bring their plight and accusations before a perceived divine court
2. if gods agreed, the ashipu would provide counter curse rituals and incantations

Question 16

What is the significance of being tried at a divine court vs a normal court?

Answer 16

if a decision comes from the divine court, then it cannot be questioned

Question 17

What is the Maqlu?

Answer 17

Ancient and largest Mesopotamian text against “witchcraft”

divided into 4 sections:
1. judgment of the witches
2. victim’s liberation from curse
3. extinguishes any left-over magic (get rid of the negative energy)
4. disposal and expulsion of the witch’s person and ghost

Question 18

What ritual does the Maqlu describe? What was the setting and goal?

Answer 18

• describes all night ritual ceremony, perfomed by the ashipus during the month of Anu (august)
• ceremony is perceived to be perfomed in a cosmic setting
• goal: purge and protet a vicitim + expel perceived witches from the organized social and cosmic communities

Question 19

Describe the two forms of destructing a witch in ancient mesopotamia

Answer 19

1. physical destruction of their person: punished and sentenced her to death via burning –> bodied couldn’t be buried –> can’t be resurrected
2. controlling or destroying their ghost from the cosmos: early - deny witch’s ghost from the netherworld (denying her peace in death); later - rituals designated to force witch’s ghost into the netherworld (enables the gods and the ashipus to better control them; can’t challenge the gods and cause chaos in the human realm)

Question 20

What were the 3 major periods of ancient eygpt, what was significant about each period?

Answer 20

1. old kingdom: built the pyramids
2. middle kingdom: time of social turbulence but eventually recovered from social disorder
3. new kingdom: most famous pharaohs, great construction and military conquests, a highly organized priesthood became more powerful and prevalent

Question 21

What was the downfall of ancient eygpt, what was a consequence?

Answer 21

Alexander conquered Eygpt

however, despite hellenization occuring, eygptian culture still flourished

Question 22

What were the two types of magicians in ancient eygpt? What was the majority?

Answer 22

1. trained priests from established temples - majority
2. lay magician - untrained people who used magic but were not affiliated with any institution

Question 23

What was the hierarchy of magician priests in ancient eygpt? describe each group

Answer 23

1. high priest: appointed by the pharaoh; highly educated, and elder, had administrative and political acuity; made sure the temple ran smoothly, officiated most important ceremonies
2. a large group of priests who had specialized training: priests of the hours, various rituals, astrologers, etc
3. the average magician-priests: perfomed many duties; engaged and helped the public; held in high regard by others for their powers and knowledge; e.g. tale of eucrates

Question 24

What was the lesson from The Tale of Eucrates?

Answer 24

don’t mess with magic that you don’t understand, it can result in bad things

Question 25

Fantasia

What did the hat represent?
What was the significance of Micky dreaming about controlling the cosmos?
What does it say about low magic?

Answer 25

• hat: gives the wearer magic (like an amulet; status symbol); the stars on it can represent the cosmos
• dream: dreaming over the power that he can possess (ambitous)
• low magic is dangerous - don’t mess around with magic that you do not understand

Question 26

What is an amulet?

Answer 26

an amulet is anything with or carried by a person for magical benefit

Question 27

What was the popular magical objects used by the ancient eygptians, what were some characteristics of these magic objects, what were they used for?

Answer 27

Amultes

• numerous materials used for construction
• material and colour were crucial for the amulet to work (more rare –> more magic)
• protection against practical concerns, maleovolent spirits, and “outsider” forms of magic

Question 28

What is the eye-of-horus? What is it’s counterpart?

Answer 28

most popular amulet - ensured good health/luck by deflecting malevolent forces

counterpart = eye-of-ra - protective powers come from instilling fear of violence

Question 29

What was the most popular and a close second eygptian amulet today?

Answer 29

most popular - Ankh (life amulet)

close 2nd - the scarab (life amulet as well)

Question 30

Describe the power of words and script in ancient eygpt

Answer 30

• writing amulets became popular - blessing, protections, etc written on papyrus scrolls
• words were considered extemely powerful - many people has numerous names, but only a small number of people knew their real name
• inscriptions were also considered magic - “hieroglyphs” could become real through magical incantations

Question 31

What does the book of the dead contain? What is it’s purpose? What is it’s significance in history?

Answer 31

collection of spells, incantations, prayers, hymns, and ritual materials

enabled the deceased person to keep all “death texts” so they could be immortal

became the first forms – priest made numerous forms where people simply filled in their names

Question 32

What was the use of the Rossetta stone? What langauges does it contian?

Answer 32

use: helped translate ancient eygptian hieroglyphs

contains: ancient eygtian hieroglphys, demotic, and ancient greek

Question 33

What was the purpose of wax figurines that were placed in tombs?

Answer 33

earlier: if the physical body was destroyed, the Ka could enter the figure instead

later: numerous figurines were placed in tombs to perform the afterlife’s work; however, some became nervous that the workers would unionize and so an “overseer” was created for every worker

Question 34

What are five things you should know about ba?

Answer 34

1. the ba existed after death - open mouth to release ba
2. the ba was a person’s character/personality/soul
3. was a human-headed bird that could travel to the underworld
4. the ba could change into other forms to survive the underworld
5. the ba needed to return to the body (or a picture of it) to become an akh (transfigured spirit that survived death and mingled with the gods)

Question 35

What are the three things you should know about ka?

Answer 35

1. the ka came into being before birth - the life force that animates the person
2. the ka separated from the body at death
3. the ka needed food and drink after death - why tombs were brought food and drink (even pictures of the offerings); open mouth so the ka could sense things