The question has by now been settled: in ancient cultures magic considered as a dark force opposite to religion was far from being a universal concept. It is impossible to say whether a single rite in itself is ‘religious’ or ‘magical’.

In Book I of The Iliad the priest of Apollo turns with a harmful prayer to his god, who then sends a plague on the Greeks besieging Troy. Magic from one perspective was divine worship from the other. The study of classical antiquity has thus joined today’s communis opinio, for which the great dichotomy between magic and religion has long disappeared. Today we can only speak of ancient magic as a general concept in the everyday sense of the word.

The objects on display clearly show how ‘magic’ formed a natural part of everyday life: we present jewellery which also gave protection to their wearers as amulets. All of them lack a provenance and can thus only be assigned a general interpretation. The bulk of the jewellery is gold. In several ancient cultures magical and healing power were assigned to this precious metal."

On display until 29 February 2012

Source and more information: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
Address: Dózsa György út 41, 1146 Budapest
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