But the PGM is not a book in the usual definition of the word. It is more accurately described as a collection of spells and rituals. These were written and carefully curated by the magicians, sorcerers and healers who lived in hellenized Egypt between the second century BCE and fifth century AD. Many of these individual ‘spell books’ are themselves compilations of prior compilations, and often claim extreme antiquity from oral transmission and/or mythic origins. We should take a moment to put this in perspective; the historical value alone is incredible.
The PGM as we know it today was first published in Greek and German by Preisendanz in 1928. The Betz edition is the English translation with a few additions including the Demotic and Coptic spells omitted by Preisendanz. The majority of the collection is believed to come from a private library or perhaps the tomb of a magician in Thebes. Naturally, while the history is quite interesting, it is the content of the papyri that is the real treasure. Over seven-hundred years of written practices and rituals document a magical tradition that have persisted and thrived alongside Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Semitic cultures.
While many spells of the PGM draw on the names of familiar gods and goddess, there is nonetheless something very alien and unfamiliar about how these otherwise familiar deities are portrayed.