Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts

This sourcebook gathers ancient Greek and Roman writings on the supernatural as ordinary people lived with and feared it. Its scope runs from the eighth century BCE to the fourth century CE, and it covers the many forms of occult belief of the period: spells and curses, prophecy, astrology, the fear of spirits and demons, and the making of charms and potions. The collection presents roughly 130 texts, each translated and placed in context, along with a general introduction, a closing discussion of how these practices carried into early Christian and Byzantine times, a note on mind-altering substances, and a glossary of key Greek and Latin terms. The aim is to show classical civilization less as a realm of calm reason and more as a world in which unseen forces were taken seriously.