▁ ▁In ▁ancient ▁Greece ▁and ▁Rome ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁magic ▁has ▁its ▁orig ins ▁in ▁An cient ▁Greece . ▁During ▁the ▁late ▁sixth ▁and ▁early ▁fifth ▁centuries ▁B CE , ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁mag u š ▁was ▁Gra ec ic ized ▁and ▁introduced ▁into ▁the ▁ancient ▁Greek ▁language ▁as ▁ μ ά γ ος ▁and ▁ μ α γ ε ί α . ▁In ▁doing ▁so ▁it ▁under w ent ▁a ▁transformation ▁of ▁meaning , ▁gain ing ▁negative ▁con not ations , ▁with ▁the ▁mag os ▁being ▁regarded ▁as ▁a ▁char lat an ▁whose ▁rit ual ▁practices ▁were ▁fra ud ul ent , ▁strange , ▁un con vent ional , ▁and ▁dangerous . ▁As ▁noted ▁by ▁Dav ies , ▁for ▁the ▁ancient ▁Gree ks — and ▁subsequently ▁for ▁the ▁ancient ▁Rom ans — " mag ic ▁was ▁not ▁distinct ▁from ▁religion ▁but ▁rather ▁an ▁unw el come , ▁impro per ▁expression ▁of ▁it — the ▁religion ▁of ▁the ▁other ". ▁The ▁historian ▁Richard ▁Gordon ▁suggested ▁that ▁for ▁the ▁ancient ▁Gree ks , ▁being ▁accused ▁of ▁pract icing ▁magic ▁was ▁" a ▁form ▁of ▁ins ult ". ▁ ▁This ▁change ▁in ▁meaning ▁was ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁military ▁conflicts ▁that ▁the ▁Greek ▁city - states ▁were ▁then ▁engaged ▁in ▁against ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁Empire . ▁In ▁this ▁context , ▁the ▁term ▁makes ▁appearances ▁in ▁such ▁surv iving ▁text ▁as ▁Soph oc les ' ▁O ed ip us ▁R ex , ▁Hi pp ocr ates ' ▁De ▁mor bo ▁sac ro , ▁and ▁G org ias