• The Kyprianos Database

    Kyprianos Update (24 March 2021)

    We’ve just posted our second 2021 update to the Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects. As well as correcting some small mistakes in manuscript, text, and archive entries, the update includes: 39 new manuscript entries, bringing the total to 879. These are primarily Greek and/or Coptic magical texts from Egypt. 23 new text entries, bringing the total to 62. Among the fascinating texts we’ve chosen for this update are… a strange set of curses from a paper codex from the 10th or 11th century never before published in English translation… a copy of the exorcistic prayer attributed to the Virgin Mary known as ‘Mary in Bartos’ (also never before published in…

  • The Kyprianos Database

    Kyprianos Update (1 March 2021)

    We’ve just posted our first 2021 update to the Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects. As well as correcting some small mistakes in manuscript, text, and archive entries, the update includes: 45 new manuscript entries, bringing the total to 840. These are primarily Greek and/or Coptic magical texts from Egypt and Nubia. 12 new text entries, bringing the total to 39. These include… …an amulet held in Moscow made up of Gospel citations. …another love spell containing a Horus-Isis charm, written across three ostraca. 1 new archive – a group of Christian amulets from Oxyrhynchus written by a single scribe – bringing the total to 14.