A collection of 600 ‘magical’ texts written in Coptic has been published following five years of study by researchers at the University of Würzburg. Papyri Copticae Magicae (published by de Gruyter) includes writings found on papyrus, parchment, paper, and ostraca. Dating to between the 4th and 12th centuries AD, the texts were used to cure illness, curse enemies, arouse feelings of love, and to predict the future.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / Image: Apapolo, public domain via Wikicommons
