page_title: Greek Magical Papyri
hierarchical_section_title: Greek Magical Papyri
caption_attribution_description: English: The Greek Magical Papyri is a collection of ancient writings forming into a grimoire, which is a book based on the practice of magical rituals. These writings combine Greco-Roman ideas with western esotericism and Egyptian mythology. The picture seen here shows the Egyptian god Set in the papyrus having the Coptic spelling of his name written on his chest.
context_page_description: The Greek Magical Papyri is the name given by scholars to a body of papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt, written mostly in ancient Greek, which each contain a number of magical spells, formulae, hymns, and rituals. The materials in the papyri date from the 100s BCE to the 400s CE. The manuscripts came to light through the antiquities trade, from the 1700s onward. One of the best known of these texts is the Mithras Liturgy.
  The texts were published in a series, and individual texts are referenced using the abbreviation PGM plus the volume and item number. Each volume contains a number of spells and rituals. Further discoveries of similar texts from elsewhere have been allocated PGM numbers for convenience.
context_section_description: The Greek Magical Papyri (Latin Papyri Graecae Magicae, abbreviated PGM) is the name given by scholars to a body of papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt, written mostly in ancient Greek (but also in Old Coptic, Demotic, etc.), which each contain a number of magical spells, formulae, hymns, and rituals. The materials in the papyri date from the 100s BCE to the 400s CE. The manuscripts came to light through the antiquities trade, from the 1700s onward. One of the best known of these texts is the Mithras Liturgy.
  The texts were published in a series, and individual texts are referenced using the abbreviation PGM plus the volume and item number. Each volume contains a number of spells and rituals.  Further discoveries of similar texts from elsewhere have been allocated PGM numbers for convenience.
caption: The Egyptian god Set seen on the papyri.
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