The second volume in the TRAC Themes series tackles the material evidence for magical practices in the Roman Empire. It explicitly aims to address the lack of focus on the materiality of magic within the discipline. Previous interpretations of magic have often placed it in dualistic opposition to organised Roman religion, with both suffering from an overreliance upon literary descriptions. In chapter 1 the editors (McKie and Parker) highlight the minimal theoretical engagement in this area of study and set out to conceptualise the parameters for a theory of Roman magic.

Many of the authors are regular TRAC contributors and take the lead in some of the more theoretical discussions in this volume. Key issues include the application of theories of object agency, performative practice and the complexity of lived experience. Varied materials and topics are addressed, including curse tablets (Sánchez Natalias), amulets (Whitmore; Sagiv; Dasen), unguentaria (Derrick) and tintinnabula (Parker), the use of amber (Davis) and, branching out from artefacts per se, the Stanway ‘Doctor's Grave’ (Garland), the domestic sphere (Wilburn) and the human body (McKie).

This assemblage of papers shows the breadth of work being carried out on small finds and the way they can inform our understanding of ancient practices, and even thought processes and intent. Garland's discussion of the dualisms inherent in our interpretations of the magical-medical spectrum is thought-provoking, and, likewise, McKie's exploration of gesture, subjective perceptions and performances in the production of curse tablets and poppets (magical dolls) gives a refreshing perspective on items more often discussed within the fields of literary and art-historical studies. I enjoyed Parker's exploration of the role of the senses in magical ritual – from the tinkle of the bells on the tintinnabula activated by wind and rain, to the way in which laughter can be used to ‘break the spell’ – and, similarly, Whitmore's discussion of the use of surprising, improper or amusing imagery to distract, and thereby deflect, the evil eye.

So, does this volume succeed in achieving its stated goals? While it can be easy to discuss abstract theoretical approaches to material culture, integrating theory and real-world data often proves more difficult. Derrick's article is strong in foregrounding theoretical considerations, while challenging the norms formed by overemphasis on classical texts. By contrast, Sagiv's paper on amulets from the Israel Museum relies rather too heavily on textual and outdated sources and lacks theoretical engagement or critique. Others are more deliberately theoretical, including considerations of the definition of magic (Davis; Parker) and Garland's attempt to integrate intention and function. Dasen's chapter works well as a conclusion, bringing together themes from throughout the collection.

One of my few criticisms is the loose copy-editing/proof-reading of the volume. There are spelling, spacing and grammatical errors throughout the text. I also find TRAC's insistence on ordering citations by publication date (rather than alphabetical order) off-putting. While most attempt a definition of ‘magic’, in some papers, other terms such as ‘apotropaic’ are left unproblematised. Some concepts more familiar from prehistoric archaeology are applied with fresh eyes to the Roman period, although ironically (given TRAC's previous focus on the issue) the idea of ‘Romans’ is sometimes used uncritically. There could additionally have been more engagement with the critique of object agency and its application to archaeology (e.g. T.C. Lindstrøm, ‘Agency “in itself”: a discussion of inanimate, animal and human agency’, Archaeological Dialogues 22.2 (2015), 207–38; A. Ribiero, ‘Against object agency: a counterreaction to Sørensen's “Hammers and nails”’, Archaeological Dialogues 23.2 (2016), 229–35). These are small quibbles, nonetheless, in a fine collection of papers that brings the study of Roman magical artefacts firmly into contemporary theoretical discourse.