Sacrificing to the Planets: Planetary Incenses and Flowers of P.Leid. I 395 (= PGM XIII.16–20, 24–26)

Abstract

P.Leid. I 395 preserves a lengthy magico-religious handbook, commonly known as the “Eighth Book of Moses”, which in the opening section instructs the practitioner to use seven specific incenses and seven flowers associated with the seven planets. In this paper, I examine the listed materials, offering modern Linnaean identifications and shedding light on the possible logical underpinnings behind their selection.