Briefly Noted

Ancient amour

Ancient Greek Love Magic

Christopher A. Faraone (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999) 223 pp., $35

Lacking Viagra and adult cable stations, ancient Greek men and courtesans invoked curses as they burned barley, bay leaves and voodoo-like wax images to enflame their lover’s desire. Weary wives, on the other hand, were more likely to concoct debilitating potions to dampen their philandering husbands’ libidos. Christopher Faraone’s analysis of magical papyri, gemstones, curse tablets and other artifacts is leavened with recipes and spells for inducing unbridled passion and formulas for ointments guaranteed to soothe a lover’s pique (try a smear of myrrh).

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