The Chaldean Magi

The Derveni papyrus

The Derveni papyrus is an ancient Greek papyrus roll that was found in 1962. It is a philosophical treatise that is an allegorical commentary on an Orphic poem, a theogony concerning the birth of the gods, produced in the circle of the philosopher Anaxagoras. The roll dates to around 340 BC, during the reign of Philip II of Macedon, making it Europe's oldest surviving manuscript. The poem itself was composed near the end of the 5th century BC, and, according to Janko, Richard, in "The Derveni Papyrus: An Interim Text,” "in the fields of Greek religion, the sophistic movement, early philosophy, and the origins of literary criticism it is unquestionably the most important textual discovery of the 20th century." While interim editions and translations were published over the subsequent years, the manuscript as a whole was finally published in 2006.

Column VI

...prayers and sacrifices assuage the souls, and the incantation of the Magoi is able to change (or keep away) the demons when they get in the way. Demons in the way are enemies to souls. This is why the Magoi perform sacrifice, just as if they were paying a penalty. And on the offerings they pour water and milk, from which they also make libations. And they sacrifice innumerable and many-knobbed cakes, because the souls too are innumerable. Initiates [of Orphism] make preliminary sacrifices to the Eumenides in the same way as the Magoi do. For the Eumenides are souls. For these reasons anyone who is going to sacrifice to gods first... a kin of bird... and the ... and they are... and as many as (fem. pl.)...