AR215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Cretan Wine, Dittany, Lithospermum
11 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Medicine has never been as popular as the other areas of ancient society. Was it too primitive: there was likely a complex knowledge of medicine. Abundance of medical artifacts found in pompeii. Variety of sources available to study medicine in the roman world: literature, epigraphy, skeletal remains, archaeological record, iconography, papyrus texts. One of the largest groups of texts from roman times are medical treatises (by # of pages) Numerous authors wrote about treatments, medicines, anatomy, diseases, and surgical instruments. Material culture related to roman medicine is more common and elaborate than may be anticipated: eg. Religion and medicine had a strong connection in roman society, several healing deities. Offerings to asclepius often took form of body parts in stone, terracotta, or bronze: examples from corinth, greece. Does appear that medical treatments occurred in asclepius" temples along with traditional worship. Christian authors also showed interest in asclepius.
