Ancient Origins ...
Some would say that it goes all the way back to the prehistoric times and the days of the caveman. Their drawings on the wall of the cave are believed to be some type of ritualistic practice prior to a hunt ... maybe hoping that their, visual imagery, incantations and special utterances would yield them a catch. This however is in the category of ritualistic magic .. which itself has a rich and colorful history.

Of course, the definition of magic would be at issue here to clearly delineate the conjuring/illusionary style of magic from the more ritualistic form. The problem w/ this is in these early days they didn't need this distinction and didn't seem to use it ... a magi (or magus) was expected to do impossible things ... things not within the realm of human capability ... and in many ways his actions were viewed as 'supernatural' ... or not of this earth. In fact until roughly the 20th century a common dictionary definition found for magic would read as follows:

"The practice of persons who can change nature using supernatural or mystical powers"

The early Magi (plural for Magus) were highly respected and revered as wise men ... perceived to have untold powers that could be used to hold contol over nature and evil. The word 'magic' was derived from their name (magi). So in these ancient times (1500 BC) these men were believed to be changing the fundamental nature of the things they were presenting ... thereby infering that what they're doing is real ... made possible by their unlimited powers.

The bible and other ancient writings contain various references to magi or other acts of magical inspiration. The three wise men referenced in the bible were actually magi of their day. And Simon Magus, who practiced feats of magical fancy during the time of Christ, was said to have flown from one room to another.

In the long range of history ... the belief in magic has been almost universal. The supernatural powers of sorcerers, wizards, soothsayers, and witch doctors have been applied to cast away evil, communicate w/ the gods of the time, and excercise supernatural control over nature and the cosmos.

The Ancient Egyptians utilized many means in the practice of their magic including amulets, magic figures, and other special ritualistic procedures to create their magic. In the early days of human history ... when the understanding of the world around them was very limited .... the use of magic often provided some sense of control over their 'mysterious' environment (sun, moon, rain, seasons, etc). They believed that much was outside thier control ... and their magic could provide them with things they felt were necessary to survive.

The first recorded history of 'illusionary' magicians were those of ancient Egypt. The most famous of these early Egyptian magicians, Dedi (approx. 2700 BC) gave a performances in which he decapitated birds and an ox and then restored their heads. It is believed he lived south of the Memphis royal quarters, in Ded-Snefru, still within Kheops own kingdom. Hardedef (King Kheops son) spoke of Dedi having lived over 100 years. Daily he ate the meat from half an ox, ate from five hundred loaves of bread, and drank from one hundred jugs of beer. It was claimed that Dedi also knew the number of concealed rooms contained within the sacred sanctuary of Thõt (Thõth), the mightiest of the gods. Thõt was the god who taught Isis the magical formulae to bring her husband Osiris back to life. [from the Wescar Papyrus - 1700 BC ... speaking of 1000 years earlier]

It's also believed that the Cups & Balls effect (see Classic Magic section) was originated in this time and performed often by these early Egyptian Magi. There are even some drawings on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs showing what appears to be a magi performing the cups and balls effect for another fellow egyptian. [ref]

Another major Egyptian magi of the time is Zoroaster ... who was a religious teacher and prophet in ancient Persia (628 BC - 551 BC). This 6th century BC timeframe is often disputed and based on other language and cultural elements it's more recently estimated he lived in the 9th or 10th centrury BC. He was the founder of the early religion Zoroastrianism. There are many ancient texts that reference Zoraster ... but most are assumed to be based on earlier writings and so much of what is described is often considered legend. There is much information about his life via the Avesta ... which is Zorastrian scripture and believed to be written by Zoraster himself. More contemporary western view of him is that of a prophet, philosopher, magician and miracle worker.

Greco/Roman Times
The idea of what magic is was very different in these early times (600bc - 300ad) ... and the seperartion of magical conjuring from that of a more spiritualistic nature was not as clear. In these times the use of special powers to effect ones condition was generally the provence of the gods ... so anyone claiming these same abilities were often seen as scurrilous sorcerers ... and viewed as threatening to the currently accepted way of life.

The ancient Greeks and Romans often consulted their magi to tell the future through dreams and crystal balls. They also consulted priests to get information from their gods. The Romans had special priests that they called Oracles ... dispensing wisdom and performing other 'magical' activities.

There were many references to magic or magi in the Greek literature. References to Orpheus, Empedocles, and Pythagoras provide insight into magical or otherwise supernatural powers. The ability to heal the sick, revitalize those of old age, have effect upon nature and the weather, summon the dead, make predictions of future events, taming wild animals, and the ability to transcend space and time were often attributed to these special holders of the magical powers. Many of the surviving magical paypri were believed to written in the first few hundred years after the birth of Christ ... but were reflecting the times and practices of the earlier Hellenistic period.

Magic In Myth
There are countless examples of magical phenomenon occurring in the long history of myth and legend. The Chinese, Indian, Greek, Roman, and Biblical archives contain acts of wonder and supernatural powers excercised by larger than life characters. Mystical transpositions, strange appearances and vanishes ... and control over nature and the cosmos ... are just but a few of the most common themes.

The Bible is believed by many to contain a wide range of ancient mythical accounts of historical figures and times where unexplainable and generally illogical phenomenon occur. There are many signifigant and classic stories from the Bible that contain clear allegorical themes used to convey the underlying message or meaning. These include the story of Adam & Eve, the miracle of the fishes & loaves, and the story of the ascenscion. Another minor example is the story of the birth of Christ and the visit made by the three wise men ... who were early day magicians ... or magi as they were called then.

There's a famous story from China about a conjurer who, in the open air, threw a rope into the air which, a young boy climbed until he disappeared. There are also claims of this same story occurring in India. In this version the Indian magician tosses a rope of about 18 feet in length into the air where it remains suspended. A young boy then climbs the rope and disappears. The magician grabs a knife and climbs the rope after the boy and disappears. Screams are heard from above ... parts of the boy's body fall to the ground. The conjurer's assistant gathers them up and places them in a large basket. The Magician descends and upon reaching the ground opens the basket and the boy is found inside, whole and unharmed.

Have You Met My Third Cousin Magik?
He stood in for me for about a thousand years or so. He was the black sheep of the family ... always into the most esoteric things. In our around the fourth century AD Chiristianity became the predominant religion in most regions of Europe ... and the churches view of anything resembling 'supernatural' power or containing any sign of ritualistic acts were outright prohibited. Violators were labeled heretics ... and those that didn't lament were at best brutally tortured ... and at worst killed (utilizing a variety of strange/cruel methods).

At this time ... Europe was a broadly dispersed series of local kingdoms and courts. Most aligned w/ the Christian dogma but there were still many fragements of various religious rituals handed down over the years that included homage to kings, princes, idols, statues, and even animals. The church considered this idolotry ... re-iterated it's prohibition ... and persued those who flagrantly disobeyed the ban.

This resulted in many aspects of early religions being forced underground and practiced in violation of the rules ... much of it considered part of Chritianity until the crackdown ... many still in existance in some form today. These practices being forced underground adds to their mystique even today.

What's most interesting is that in cases where strong ritualistic practices are utilzed ... and they don't align w/ any given religious doctrine ... it will be considered heretical ... and those participating will be looked down upon. But in fact all these practicioners are really doing is substituting their own ritual ... for the one that the mainstream religion has sanctioned ... to facilitate their followers chance to 'experience' their connection to their god ... which is what all religions profess to provide.

Burned At The Stake
Of all the ways to go this has got to be pretty low on the list ... maybe just above being eaten alive. In it's time, it was the way to deal w/ the troublemakers, the rabblerousers, the deviants, the evil practitioners ... allegedly the only way to really rid the world of their evil.

Of course ... who brings us this creative way to kill? Let's see ... some ego-maniacal megalomaniac ... or how about one of those really nasty world conquerers ... or maybe it was just a mob mentality that led to wholesale torture and execution of those clamined to be unfaithful? Or maybe it was something else altogether.

Capital crimes ... witchcraft, treason, heresy ... they'll all get you some grissly death ... and the stake might just be one of them. By no means was this the only option however. Some other good ones are hanging, drowning, quartering, branding, the dungeon, or even being buried alive. Burning heretics at the stake was commonly used until around the 18th century when the masses deteremined that this might be just a tad cruel and unsual way to kill someone.

Magic As A Risky Business
There are many documented accounts of unnamed conjurers perfoming some unexplainable or unbelievable feat during the late middle ages as conjuring magic begins to reappear. In general it was a dangerous profession since many still held magicians in low regard ... and in some cases would suffer unfortunate ends either via the church's strict interpretations of heresy or magic's association w/ astrology, religion, and even alchemy. This led to some cases where those who claimed special powers would be imprisoned until they could work their magic ... and make their captors wealthy. Some of the known magicians of this time were Pinetti, Bocal, Soma, Scotto, Colorni, Philadelphia, and Gomin.

Other stories are documented of card conjurers performing some of the same effects we know today. Other popular presentations were from early 17th century water magicians ... swallowing large amounts of water and then spouting endlessly. Two documented water magicians were Blaise Manfreee of Malta and Jean Royer ... who were both tried by the church and acquitted by describing their methods. Floram Marchand was another famous water conjurer of this time who was known to spout water, beer, and wine. The automation was a popular favorite for a time as well and included perpetual fountains, the 'dairy house' fountain, musical automations, animated 'moving picture' clockwork automations, and even an automated chess player.

The Golden Era of Magic
It's the middle of the nineteenth century ... late 1840's ... in Paris, France ... and Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin performs his renowned Soirées Fantastiques (Fantastic Nights) to adoring crowds. This distinguished and well dressed man ... demonstrating his own inventions w/ a style not seen before. He redefines the idea of magical presentation w/ his finely designed automations and professional manner. Only a few year later he's followed by a popular spiritualist theme w/ the Davenport Brother's Spirit Cabinet Illusion and John Henry Pepper's Ghost Illusion.

In the next thirty or more years a series of levitation effects will be developed and evolved by Alexander deKolta, the Maskelyne's, the Herrmann's and Harry Kellar. Smoke ... and especially mirrors play a huge role in a wide variety of disappearance, decapitation, and other strange illusory effects in the late 19th century.

David Devant's Boy, Girl, and Egg routine ... Thurston's masterful card manipulations ... and T. Nelson Down's endless production of coins from thin air round out the 19th century w/ vaudvillian talent filling the magical ranks. A man by the name Houdini first appears w/ his brother, then his wife in a a variety of acts that ultimately evolve into his current persona as a master escape artist.

The arrival of the movie began to erode the audiences for live entertainment, vaudeville, and elaborate stage magic presentations. Many magicians still touring in the early 1920's struggled to compete w/ the new entertainment alternatives. The development of broadcast televisiion in the 1940's would further eroded the available audiences.

The post-Film Era
So many great names fill this period of time following the great stage era of magic. Names like Blackstone, Cardini, Vernon, Kapps, Leipzig, Benson, Slydini, Annemann, Ascanio, Marlo, Scarne, Curry, Dunninger, and Jennings. These great magicians were all standing on the shoulders of the giants that went before them ... and they'd serve that role for those that follow. We all owe them a great debt for their tireless contributions to the art and practice of magic.

Magic Now ... And In the Future
Magic is currenlty enjoying a renaissance of sorts w/ a number of talented magicians and mentalists performing some amazing magic. Surely this resurgance and proliferation of all that is magical will inspire other young spectators to develop an interest in magic and for some an obsession ... which might lead to their very own prime time TV special in a few years.

Of course, a widespread proliferation of magic entertainment could lead to a saturation ... or produce additional programs that claim to be entertaining only by disclosing long held secrets. Continued exposure or commercialization of the fundamentals could undermine it's effect on those aware of the methods. This clearly ruins the magical experience and your ablility to wow and amaze ... but more importantly it robs the spectator of the potential for that magical moment.