The Egyptians were famous in the ancient world for their knowledge of magic. Religion, medicine, technology and what we would call magic co-existed without apparent conflict, and it was not unusual for magical and 'practical' remedies for illness to be used side by side. Magic was resorted to by everyone, from the pharaoh guarding his country with elaborate magical rituals to the expectant mother wearing amulets to safeguard her unborn child. In this newly revised and updated edition, Dr Pinch examines the connections between myth and magic, and the deities, such as Isis and Bes, who had special magical importance. the techniques of magic, its practitioners and the surviving magical texts are discussed, as are the objects which were used in magic: figurines, statues, amulets and wands. A chapter is devoted to medicine and magic, and another to magic and the dead. Finally, Dr Pinch shows how elements and influences from Egyptian magic survived in or were taken up by later societies, right down to the present day.
 
"...a thorough and thoughtful treatment of a world in which science, magic and religion coexisted." Bob Brier, Natural History