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International Conference on Ancient Magic

October 17 - October 18, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Ohio Union - Senate Chamber

Please join us for the International Conference on Ancient Magic.

Additional event information will be posted soon.

This event is open to the public.

 

 

 

WORKING SCHEDULE

 

Friday October 17

 

8:30- 9:30 BREAKFAST AND CHAT 

 

Introductory remarks 9:30-9:45

 

9:45-11:15   Chair: Miranda Amey

 

•Korshi Dosoo: “Making Magic Before Frazer: The Nineteenth Century Construction of Ancient Greek Magic”  (virtual participation)

•Michael Swartz: "Kansas, I've a Feeling We're Not In Toto Anymore: Thirty Years of Dialogue on the Concept of Ancient Magic."

 

Coffee 11:15-11:30

 

11:30-1:00  Chair: Gaia Gianni

 

•Georgia Frank: “'How to Acquire a Beautiful Voice': Singing and Sonority in Ancient Magic"

•Joe Sanzo: "Early Christian Liturgical Singing in its Agonistic Context: A View from the Late Antique Magical Record." 

 

1:00-2:30 LUNCH

 

2:30-4:00  Chair: Ben Folit-Weinberg

 

•Radcliffe Edmonds “What is the Question?: More on Magic and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance”

•Michael Beshay: “Ritual Storyboards? The Encomia of Coptic Magic.”

 

 

 

Saturday October 18:

 

8:30- 9:30 BREAKFAST AND CHAT 

 

9:30-11:00  Chair: Katie Rask

 

•Jessica Lamont:  "Shared Rites and the Community of a Sacred Space in Late Antiquity: Corinth’s Fountain of the Lamps"

•Drew Wilburn: “The Role of Architectural Magic in Protecting the Family from Illness and Misfortune”

 

11:30-1:00  Chair: Harriet Fertik

 

•Veronique Dasen:  "'I Love You a Little:' Eros at Play in a Roman Glyptic" (Virtual participation)

•Carman Romano: "Therapy with Medea" 

 

1:00-2:00 LUNCH

 

2:00-2:45  Chair: Tina Sessa

 

Lucy Grig (TBA)

 

3:00-4:00 

 

Conversation between David F. and Sarah on what we’ve been doing for the past 40 years and where we might go, now.

 

4:15-5:30 

 

Responses to the papers by some of the OSU ancient religion faculty (Megan, Tina, Fritz.), and then general discussion (presided over by Fritz Graf).