GABRIELE CONTE
Exorcism in Ancient Egypt. Texts and practiseS from the religious and healing tradition
 
The volume provides a clear and engaging overview of exorcistic rituals in Egyptian religion from the Middle Kingdom through later periods. Exorcism, attested in many cultures, has long challenged researchers, partly because rationalizing approaches tend to flatten its complexity. As a practice devoted to safeguarding physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, it occupies an intermediate space between magic, religion, and early science, making its terminology inherently ambiguous.
Ancient Egypt offers a particularly rich body of evidence for rites designed to repel supernatural agents held responsible for illness. Too often dismissed as proto-medical reasoning or simple superstition, these rituals instead illuminate how Egyptians understood everyday hardships, articulated their fears, and conceptualized disease and healing in ways distinct from later medical traditions.
Accordingly, this volume approaches exorcistic practice from multiple perspectives: the social status and functions of exorcists; the transmission and reproduction of healing knowledge; the materiality of remedies and ritual performance; the textual and cultural motifs embedded in spells; and the broader evolution of these practices over time.