Magic in the ancient world played an important part of the social and cultural structure of many communities. Used in everyday life and encouraged by philosophers, magic was not an alien concept to ancient civilizations. Contemporary views of ancient magic often paint a world enamored with oracles and priests; ancient people were blindly fascinated with seemingly impossible powers. The truth; however, is that the prosecution of witches and magicians is not a phenomenon only appearing in recent history; the notion that witch hunting began in medieval Europe is not true. Instead, practitioners of magic have been facing prosecution for centuries and this phenomenon can be explained by understanding the qualities associated with magicians and sorcerers.
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There are only two accounted cases of the Lex Cornelia being used against magic practitioners, and only one ended in a prosecution (Dickie). This case happened in an African province and was concerned with Apuleius of Madaura using magic to seduce a rich widow (Dickie). While Dickie does not divulge much about the nature of the magic Apuleius used or its origin, it is possible that Apuleius was practicing African magic as he lived and hails from African provinces. The Lex Cornelia does not have any passages that target foreign magic, but it has been used to target magic considered evil (Dickie). Evil magic could easily be confused with foreign magic; the Romans have been shown to treat foreign magic as trickery and evil (Kousoulis). The ambiguous terms used in the Lex Cornelia allow it be broadly used for any kinds of magic; a powerful tool to prosecute the ideas of the local populace. Moreover, Roman influence on Egyptian provinces lead to the condemnation of Ramesses III by the state (Kousoulis). Laws in this sense, are tools to control attitude and thought. In these outlying states, the Romans strived to control the local population, and ultimately, the magic they practiced. Internally, Roman citizens also faced many issues in which the same laws were …show more content…
The prosecution of magicians and sorcerers aimed to prosecute an idea or belief that challenged the state. In any time that the state felt threatened by some magical group, the threat was strictly regulated with some members being tried for veneficiis. In one instance a senator of Italy called for the prosecution of the practitioners of extreme Bacchic rites that threatened the stability of social life throughout Rome (Odgen). Extraordinarily, almost five thousand members were executed (Odgen). Such actions were necessary, in the eyes of the senate, to stop the spread of the occult membership and thus the spread of the ideas and belief held within that group. Prosecution was not a tool used by the Romans to illuminate their xenophobia or racism, it was a tool for the ruling elite to maintain control of culture and social changes in the communities that they ruled, including communities at home. But this may create crisis for Rome: they would be prosecuting a large chunk of their intellectuals.
Pertaining to the idea of the learned magician, attacking magicians and sorcerers would cost Rome its philosophers, mathematicians, and engineers; some of the most famous ancient thinkers were practitioners of magic (Dickie). The state would have seen that the crisis at hand would be losing most of its greatest minds and thinkers. Conversely, the great minds of Rome were
There are only two accounted cases of the Lex Cornelia being used against magic practitioners, and only one ended in a prosecution (Dickie). This case happened in an African province and was concerned with Apuleius of Madaura using magic to seduce a rich widow (Dickie). While Dickie does not divulge much about the nature of the magic Apuleius used or its origin, it is possible that Apuleius was practicing African magic as he lived and hails from African provinces. The Lex Cornelia does not have any passages that target foreign magic, but it has been used to target magic considered evil (Dickie). Evil magic could easily be confused with foreign magic; the Romans have been shown to treat foreign magic as trickery and evil (Kousoulis). The ambiguous terms used in the Lex Cornelia allow it be broadly used for any kinds of magic; a powerful tool to prosecute the ideas of the local populace. Moreover, Roman influence on Egyptian provinces lead to the condemnation of Ramesses III by the state (Kousoulis). Laws in this sense, are tools to control attitude and thought. In these outlying states, the Romans strived to control the local population, and ultimately, the magic they practiced. Internally, Roman citizens also faced many issues in which the same laws were …show more content…
The prosecution of magicians and sorcerers aimed to prosecute an idea or belief that challenged the state. In any time that the state felt threatened by some magical group, the threat was strictly regulated with some members being tried for veneficiis. In one instance a senator of Italy called for the prosecution of the practitioners of extreme Bacchic rites that threatened the stability of social life throughout Rome (Odgen). Extraordinarily, almost five thousand members were executed (Odgen). Such actions were necessary, in the eyes of the senate, to stop the spread of the occult membership and thus the spread of the ideas and belief held within that group. Prosecution was not a tool used by the Romans to illuminate their xenophobia or racism, it was a tool for the ruling elite to maintain control of culture and social changes in the communities that they ruled, including communities at home. But this may create crisis for Rome: they would be prosecuting a large chunk of their intellectuals.
Pertaining to the idea of the learned magician, attacking magicians and sorcerers would cost Rome its philosophers, mathematicians, and engineers; some of the most famous ancient thinkers were practitioners of magic (Dickie). The state would have seen that the crisis at hand would be losing most of its greatest minds and thinkers. Conversely, the great minds of Rome were