Author: Rives, James Boykin
Title: Magic in the XII Tables revisited
Review/Collection: "Classical Quarterly", NS, 52, (1)
Year edition: 2002
Pages: 270-290
Keywords: Droit - Diritto - Law, Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy, Religion - Religione - Religion, Sources - Fonti - Sources
Description: The significance of the two laws associated with magic becomes clearer if we do not think of them as laws against magic. The law « qui fruges excantassit » (8, 4 Lewis-Crawford) dealt with the removal of crops from the owner's fields by means either of « carmina » or of « uenena ». The law « qui malum carmen incantassit » (8, 1) probably contained at least three clauses. Pliny's interpretation of the clause « si malum carmen incantassit » (nat. 28, 17) is evidence for the ancient belief in the power of words ; Cicero's interpretation of the « siue carmen condidisset » clause (rep. 4, 12) is evidence for a law against slander. We may assume an original concept of « malediction » combining ideas that later generations would distinguish as « magic » and « slander ». [APh]
Works:
Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3556457?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Author initials: Rives 2002
Title: Magic in the XII Tables revisited
Review/Collection: "Classical Quarterly", NS, 52, (1)
Year edition: 2002
Pages: 270-290
Keywords: Droit - Diritto - Law, Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy, Religion - Religione - Religion, Sources - Fonti - Sources
Description: The significance of the two laws associated with magic becomes clearer if we do not think of them as laws against magic. The law « qui fruges excantassit » (8, 4 Lewis-Crawford) dealt with the removal of crops from the owner's fields by means either of « carmina » or of « uenena ». The law « qui malum carmen incantassit » (8, 1) probably contained at least three clauses. Pliny's interpretation of the clause « si malum carmen incantassit » (nat. 28, 17) is evidence for the ancient belief in the power of words ; Cicero's interpretation of the « siue carmen condidisset » clause (rep. 4, 12) is evidence for a law against slander. We may assume an original concept of « malediction » combining ideas that later generations would distinguish as « magic » and « slander ». [APh]
Works:
Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3556457?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Author initials: Rives 2002
