An Anatomy of Tradition: The Case of the Charitêsion

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Overview

Title: An Anatomy of Tradition: The Case of the Charitêsion
Author: Theodore S. de Bruyn
Publication Date: 2015
Published in: Archiv für Religionsgeschichte, vol. 16.1, 2015.

Paper
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Link to Pdf at the University of Ottawa: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/44175

Abstract

This paper traces continuity and change in the structure and formulation of Demotic, Greek, and Coptic charitêsia (“good luck charms”) in Roman Egypt. Drawing on the theoretical work of Roy Rappaport and Catherine Bell, it argues that the producers of these charms created a sense of tradition by echoing and modulating pre-established forms of incantation. The resulting products combined both elasticity and specificity so as to be at once recognizable in a broad cultural context and relevant to specific audiences. Key words: amulets, charitêsion, Roman Egypt, ritual.