"The Greek magical papyri" is the name given by scholars to a collection of magical spells and formulas, hymns, and rituals from Greco-Roman Egypt. Dating from the second century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., these fascinating papyri have survived not only the forces of nature but the systematic efforts of ancient official cults to destroy such documents. They provide a rare glimpse into the vast religious "underworld" of late classical and early Christian times. A major event in the field of religious studies, this volume represents the efforts of an international team of scholars under the leadership of the editor and contains a fresh translation of the Greek papyri, as well as Coptic and Demotic texts. While the bulk of the material is based on the standard Preisendanz editions, Papyri Graecae Magicae: Die griechischen Zauberpapyri (1928, 1931; second edition, 1973-74), containing 81 pieces, this new translation volume has been brought up to date and includes 130 pieces. It is now the most comprehensive collection of this literature, and the first ever in English. In order to give the reader a better understanding of the strange and often bizarre world of ancient magic, the volume includes two substantial introductions that explain the general nature of the sources, one on the Greek spells by Hans Dieter Betz and one on the Demotic spells by Janet H. Johnson. In addition, there are inventories both of the individual spells and their purposes and of the papyri - their locations, provenances, dates, and publication data. Accompanying notes explain difficulties in the texts or with the renderings, point to parallels within the corpus, and call attention to phenomena peculiar to the religious and social world of the time. The volume concludes with an extensive glossary of the magical terms and names used frequently throughout the translated texts. Volume 2 will consist of indexes to the English translations in volume 1 as well as to the Greek text editions. Th