1. What do you think about Magliocco’s presentation of the classical roots of neo-paganism
2. How did the difference between magic, science and religion develop? (Dickey, Tambiah)
3. Can we assume that the categories of magic, science and religion are present in all cultures? (Dickey, Tambiah)
3. Critical approach to sources for the study on magic in the ancient world (lecture 4)
4. Dickey argues that magic as category of thought was developed in classical Athens. (agree or disagree)
5. Athenian women and magic: were all witches sex workers or their associates?
Be prepared to cite case studies! (from Dickey).
6. What did the Athenians think of women and magic? Be prepared to comment on the speech of Phaedra’s nurse. (Dickey)
7. Magic in Theocritus (be prepared to comment on an excerpt form Idyll II and place it within the general framework of the poem)
8. Did the Romans learn their magic from the Greeks (Lecture 10); be prepared to give examples to support both a negative and an affirmative answer.
9. Horace’s Canidia: be prepared to comment on an excerpt form Epode 5 (Ogden 92)
10. Roman law and magic; be prepared to bring up case studies and to comment on excerpts form Apuleius defense (cf. Ogden)
11. Compare Apostle Peter and Simon Magus (comment on Acts of Apostles)
Elements of magic in the stories about Pythagoras and Empedocles (be prepared to comment on fragments)
12. How did Plotinus justify the efficacy of magic?
13. Reasons for the persecution of Christians (Dickey, lectures)
15. Reasons for the persecutions of pagans (Dickey, lectures)
16. Late antique civil legislation against magic
17. Cannon law in Cappadocia and Alexandria
