It was thought that magical power came from the gods and was bestowed on kings and priests. But there were also more mundane magicians who dealt not with life and death but things like good luck charms, pest control and love potions.

Magic had a practical role: to protect mothers in childbirth; to ensure the dead could talk, eat and see in the afterlife; and to cure the sick. Dawn and dusk were the best times to perform spells, writing them down or repeating them over and over, often using magic knives and figurines.

Magic numbers, blood, semen, oil, plants and the colours black and white were important ingredients.