The beginnings of magic

The beginnings of magic in Egypt

Even though the art of magic as the form of entertainment as we know it has only existed for around 300 years, records of ritual magicians can be found throughout human history.

The oldest known document containing references to magicians is the ancient Egyptian Westcar Papyrus, which probably dates to the second millennium BC. Among other things, it tells the story of the magician Dedi, who entertained King Khufu by cutting off the heads of various animals and then reattaching them, an ordeal which they survived unscathed. However, experts dispute whether Dedi is a real or a fictional person.

Magic in antiquity

The first magicians were mainly priests or shamans who wanted to demonstrate their supernatural abilities using tricks that could be highly complex. The basis for these tricks was usually their superior knowledge of chemical or physical laws.

In ancient Greece (around 50 AD), Heron of Alexandria invented an ingenious mechanism that opened the doors of a temple when a fire was lit. He made use of the fact that air expands when heated. In a container half-filled with water and half-filled with air, rising pressure causes the water to be displaced and to flow through a hose into a bowl. The added weight of the water opens the temple doors via a wire rope hoist.

Among Heron’s creations were also a multitude of complex devices that used water and heat for propulsion, including a precursor of the steam engine.

Another of Heron’s inventions is a jug that one can seemingly empty in front of spectators by holding it upside down and pouring the water it contains into a bowl. A hidden siphon allows this process to be repeated several times without any need to refill the jug.

Magic in the Middle Ages

Along with this type of ritual magic, magical arts were developed for entertainment purposes: sleight of hand tricks. This kind of magic had been marvelled at since ancient times and was particularly popular in marketplaces. Merchants used it to attract customers and draw attention to their wares. They utilised seemingly magical objects such as amulets or medical remedies, but also ordinary everyday objects. The persecution of witches in the Middle Ages forced sleight of hand artists to make it clear that their magic was based on simple tricks and deceptions, to avoid the suspicion that diabolical forces were involved. It was also for this purpose that Reginald Scot published the first book describing magic tricks in 1584. Nevertheless, conjurers often had a bad reputation among the public. Even if their tricks were entertaining, they were associated with swindlers and thieves.