Religion for Breakfast presents:
Magic in the Ancient World
with Dr. Andrew Henry
March 26 - May 14
Wednesdays 1:30 - 3:00 PM EDT
$300 for Live and Lifetime Access
Magic in the Ancient World
This course explores the role of magic in the Roman Empire, examining how ancient peoples sought to harness supernatural forces through spells, rituals, and objects.
From curse tablets and erotic spells to protective amulets and demon bowls, students will analyze the intersection of magic with religion, medicine, and daily life. Drawing on archaeological evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship, the course will investigate how magic was practiced, who was accused of using it, and how it was regulated (or not) by Roman law. Special attention will be given to critiquing the categories that we use, examining the blurred boundaries between so-called “official” religion and so-called “forbidden” sorcery, as well as the perspectives of both practitioners and critics of magic.
By the end of this course, students will gain a critical understanding of how magic functioned in the social, religious, and legal landscape of the Roman Empire, while also interrogating the very concept of “magic” itself. They will explore key magical practices—curse tablets, amulets, exorcisms, and healing rituals—while questioning where the boundaries between magic, religion, and medicine were drawn, both in antiquity and in modern scholarship.
The course will also examine how magic was used in times of crisis, how it intersected with gender and marginalization, and how Roman authorities sought to regulate it.
Through case studies, primary sources, and self-reflective analysis, students will develop a nuanced perspective on ancient magical traditions and the ways in which categories like “magic” are shaped by cultural assumptions.
Register Now
Learn from Dr. Andrew Henry
Register now to get direct training from the founder and host of Religion for Breakfast.
$300
Class Schedule
Class 1: What is magic?
Class 2: The Social Context of Magic
Class 3: Curse Tablets and Agonistic Magic
Class 4: Amulets and Apotropaic Magic
Class 5: Magic and Medicine: What’s the Difference?
Class 6: Exorcism: Is it magic?
Class 7: Magic and Roman Law
Class 8: Magic and Marginalization: Women and Gender
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Andrew Henry
Dr. Andrew Henry is a scholar of late Roman religion and the creator of Religion for Breakfast. Andrew holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Boston University, where he focused on magic and demonology in the late Roman Empire.
His fieldwork includes excavations in Athens, Greece with the American School of Classical studies. He also served as the Educational and Cultural Affairs Research Fellow at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.
Course Textbook
Magic in the Ancient World
