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Medicine in Classical Antiquity

• 
  Sarcophagus with a Greek physician, early 300s
  Roman; Ostia, Italy
  Marble
  Inscribed in Greek: If anyone shall dare to bury another person along with this one, he shall pay to the treasury three times two thousand [whatever the unit was]. This is what he shall pay to [the city of] Portus, but he himself will endure the eternal punishment of the violator of graves.
  Gift of Mrs. Joseph Brummer and Ernest Brummer, in memory of Joseph Brummer, 1948 (48.76.1)
  
• 
  Intaglio with the head of Asklepios, 1st century B.C.–3rd century A.D.
  Roman
  Carnelian; 7/16 x 27/32 in. (11.1 x 21.2 mm)
  Gift of John Taylor Johnston, 1881 (81.6.94)
  
• 
  Childbirth scene, ca. 310–30 B.C.; Hellenistic
  Cypriot; Said to be from the temple at Golgoi
  Limestone; H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm), L. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm)
  The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76 (74.51.2698)
  
• 
  Ear probe, Roman
  Cypriot
  Bronze; L. 6 1/2 in. (16.51 cm)
  The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874-76 (74.51.5491)
  
• 
  Spatula, Roman
  Cypriot
  Bronze; L. 7 3/16 in. (18.29 cm)
  The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874-76 (74.51.5509)
  
• 
  LigulaRoman
  Bronze; L. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.230.110)
  

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Medicine in classical antiquity was a collection of beliefs, knowledge, and experience. What we know of early medical practice is based upon archaeological evidence, especially from Roman sites—medical instruments (17.230.110), votive objects, prescription stamps, etc.—and from ancient literary sources. Most of the literary evidence is preserved in treatises attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates (ca. 460–370 B.C.) and the Roman physician Galen (129–199/216) (74.51.5491).




From the earliest times, treatments involved incantations, invoking the gods, and the use of magical herbs, amulets, and charms. Drug sellers, root cutters, midwives, gymnastic trainers, and surgeons all offered medical treatment and advice. In the absence of formal qualifications, any individual could offer medical services, and literary evidence for early medical practice shows doctors working hard to distinguish their own ideas and treatments from those of their competitors. The roots of Greek medicine were many and included ideas assimilated from Egypt and the Near East, particularly Babylonia.

From the earliest times, treatments involved incantations, invoking the gods, and the use of magical herbs, amulets, and charms.

Related

Timelines (6)

• Ancient Greece, 1–500 a.d.
• Ancient Greece, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 1–500 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 1–500 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (2)

• Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices

Other Thematic Essays (11)

• Athletics in Ancient Greece
• Birth and Family in the Italian Renaissance
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• List of Rulers of the Roman Empire
• Medicine in the Middle Ages
• Popular Religion: Magical Uses of Imagery in Byzantine Art
• Roman Glass
• Roman Housing
• Roman Inscriptions
• The Roman Empire (27 B.C.–393 A.D.)
• Women in Classical Greece

Maps (3)

• Europe, 1-500 A.D.
• Europe, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.
• World, 1-500 A.D.

Index Terms (12)

Art Movement/Style

• Classical Period in Greek Art

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula
• The Italian Peninsula
• Southern Italy and Rome
• Rome (Ancient)

Material and Technique

• Bronze from Europe
• Bronze from West Asia

Object

• Implement for Cosmetics
• Medical Implement

Subject Matter/Theme

• Childbirth
• Child
• Other Greek and Roman Deities

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Medical practitioners frequently traveled from town to town, but there is little evidence to suggest that they were hired to provide free care for the general population. In Rome, for instance, where traditional Italian medicine competed with foreign imports, many doctors were Greek. Anyone could practice medicine, although most were free citizens. Medical training in ancient Greece and Rome might take the form of an apprenticeship to another doctor, attendance at medical lectures, or even at public anatomical demonstrations.




In ancient Greece and Rome, Asklepios was revered as the patron god of medicine (81.6.94). Two of the most famous healing sanctuaries sacred to the god were at Epidauros and on the island of Kos. The success of the cult of Asklepios in antiquity was due to his accessibility—although the son of Apollo, he was still human enough to attempt to cancel death. Those who sought a cure in the temples erected to him were subjected to ritual purifications, fasts, prayers, and sacrifices. A central feature of the cult and the process of healing was known as incubation, during which the god appeared to the afflicted one in a dream and prescribed a treatment.



Colette Hemingway Independent Scholar

Citation Hemingway, Colette. "Medicine in Classical Antiquity". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/medi/hd_medi.htm (October 2004) Further Reading Greece and Rome. Introduction by Joan Mertens.. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. Grant, Michael, and John Hazel Who's Who in Classical Mythology. London: Dent, 1993. Hornblower, Simon, and Antony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3d ed., rev.. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Karageorghis, Vassos, in collaboration with Joan R. Mertens and Marice E. Rose Ancient Art from Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Milne, John Stewart Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times. Oxford: Clarendon, 1907. Penn, R. G. Medicine on Ancient Greek and Roman Coins. London: Seaby, 1994. Scarborough, John Roman Medicine. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1969. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)