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Original fileAbout This Work
This papyrus fragment displays columns of Greek cursive script detailing ritual procedures and incantations. The material is heavily damaged with significant lacunae, yet the dark ink remains legible in several sections, showing the technical layout of an ancient practitioner's handbook. These texts often combined botanical ingredients, specific timings, and the invocation of deities to achieve desired outcomes.
This artifact is part of the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) corpus, representing the syncretic ritual magic of late antiquity that merged Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish traditions. It serves as a primary ancestor to the medieval and Renaissance grimoire traditions and the 'natural magic' studied by later Hermeticists.
Inscriptions
The fragment contains multiple lines of Greek script, including ritual imperatives such as: ΠΟΙΗCΟΝ (A common command in spells translated as 'do' or 'make').
Connected Texts
Papyri Graecae Magicae
This fragment is a constituent part of the PGM corpus, which preserves the technical ritual magic of the Greco-Roman world.
Hermes Trismegistus
Magical handbooks of this era frequently invoke Hermes in his role as a god of magic and transitions, bridging the PGM and the Hermetic tradition.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
scientific
Digital Source
Unknown · Public domain
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 4, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.