Practice and Perception of Black Magic among the Hittites
The present paper argues that passages in the Hittite texts often understood as attestations of the practice of black magic should instead be seen as indications of the perception and fear of it, and that suspicions, accusations and fears should not be taken as evidence. Alternative reasons for the...
| Published in: | Altorientalische Forschungen |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2010
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| In: |
Altorientalische Forschungen
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| Further subjects: | B
Witchcraft
B Magic B Ritual B Black Magic B Sorcery |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The present paper argues that passages in the Hittite texts often understood as attestations of the practice of black magic should instead be seen as indications of the perception and fear of it, and that suspicions, accusations and fears should not be taken as evidence. Alternative reasons for the prevelant belief in and fear of black magic in these texts are then examined, and it is suggested that psychological and sociological phenomena well-known from a broad range of ancient and more recent cultural settings could account for them no less convincingly. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-6761 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Altorientalische Forschungen
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1524/aofo.2010.0015 |