Paper short abstract:

This paper proposes to explore the use and production of inks in the ritual field of Late Antiquity through the testimony of Greek magical papyri, with special focus on the symbolic or procedural aspects that distinguish them from ordinary (i.e. profane) inks.

Paper long abstract:

Ink was one of the most important inventions of antiquity: its technology made possible the development of writing and, with it, the transmission of thought beyond the possibilities of previous media, revolutionising the way we communicate and preserve knowledge. However, the function of inks in antiquity was not limited to the mere act of writing: the natural substances used in their manufacture endowed them with a therapeutic-ritual potential that did not go unnoticed by physicians and ritual practitioners. Within the research lines of the project INK-Quiry, this paper proposes to explore inks in the ritual field of Late Antiquity through the testimony of Greek magical papyri: their function as a means of producing sacred texts or transmitting certain properties to the text (or its support, including the human body). In short, the aim is to analyse inks as a technical element within ritual, trying to find out what symbolic or procedural aspects distinguishes them from ordinary (i.e. profane) inks.