Smells and Spells: Plants, Olfaction, and Evolution in the Greek Magical Papyri

Abstract

This thesis explores the rationale behind the inclusion of botanical ingredients in the Greek and Demotic Magical Papyri using an interdisciplinary lens. After summarizing current anthropological and pharmacological approaches, I conduct a statistical analysis of the botanical ingredients present in the corpus of spells to evaluate the frequency and diversity of botanicals. The statistical analysis allows for an evaluation of existing theories and suggests a new approach grounded in olfaction and evolution. Basing magical rationale in olfaction, I demonstrate that odor was likely a form of communication in magic and an avenue for power in magical spells. These ideas are supported by a discussion of the role of odor in the works of ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus. In the application of these ideas, I present my olfactory theory as a complement, not a substitute, to approaches based on persuasive analogy and homeopathic magic as offered by Frazer, Tambiah, and others. I end by turning to a broader discussion of fragrance in Greek literature to understand the wider use of odor in Greek culture. By demonstrating the parallels between the use of fragrance in archaic Greek poetry, as illustrated by the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite and two poems of Sappho, and the use of fragrance in the magical papyri, I further show how odor should be interpreted as a method of communication and power more broadly in classical literature.