مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN SOCIETIES IN THE LIGHT OF ARCHEOLOGICAL AND WRITTEN SOURCES

Abstract :

In this study, we have examined archeological and written sources and tried to put forward the position of magic in Ancient Mesopotamian societies. As always and everywhere, various disasters people encountered made life hard in Mesopotamia, as well. On the other hand, human beings were in the desire of influencing and directing the materialistic world in every period. Magic was applied in every field of daily life of Mesopotamian societies. There are two main kinds of magic in Mesopotamia. These are “black magic-aggravating” and “white magic-healer”. Today, majority of the texts on magic are included within the group of white magic. Mesopotamians believed that some people did black magic with the supernatural powers they interacted with in society. Mesopotamians thought that diseases were triggered by malignant spirits occupying the human and malignant devils curbing the human body. Also, they believed that bad luck stem from bad spirits. They accepted that white magic would eliminate the effect of black magic and remove the bad spirits from human body. In accordance with this, they conducted various protection method and ritual.