Two contrasting portraits of exorcism in the Roman period for patients with symptoms consistent with epilepsy, drawn by Josephus (A.J. 8.45–47) and Lucian (Philops. §16), illustrate a substantial albeit contested diffusion of that ancient technique from the Jewish tradition to a wider Mediterranean public. The process is reflected in a similarly complex traditional background and textual composition of a group of inscribed Greek amulets for epilepsy. A sidelight on attitudes towards the practice of exorcism, on its way to wider popularity, and the conception of epilepsy is cast by these amulets, which have not yet been studied as a group. Their texts witness the application of precise Greek medical terminology, yet to an end, and in a compositional company, that authors in the Hippocratic tradition would have rejected. More generally, the artifacts offer a cross-section of amuletic practice and its diversity in the Roman and late ancient periods.

约瑟夫斯 ( AJ 8.45–47) 和卢锡安( Philops.§16），说明了这种古老的技术从犹太传统向更广泛的地中海公众传播，尽管存在争议。这一过程反映在一个类似复杂的传统背景和一组铭刻的希腊癫痫护身符的文字组成中。这些护身符铸就了对驱魔实践态度的旁注，在其更广泛流行的道路上，以及癫痫的概念是由这些尚未作为一个群体进行研究的护身符铸造的。他们的文本见证了精确的希腊医学术语的应用，但在一个作曲公司中，希波克拉底传统的作者会拒绝。更一般地说，这些文物提供了护身符实践的横截面及其在罗马和古代晚期的多样性。