Greek and Roman Medicine at the British Museum: The Instruments and Accoutrements of Ancient Medicine

The surviving written records and material remains of most societies since earliest times have revealed strategies for the preservation of health and the prevention and treatment of illness and disease. The evidence for the ancient Greek and Roman periods is comparatively full, but still sparse or lacking in some key areas. This book will be a unique and major contribution to the understanding of ancient medical implements and surgical instruments, surgery, and the history of medicine. The British Museum collection also includes objects that help to illustrate the multi-faceted approach to healing in antiquity, such as collyrium-stamps, Greek inscriptions honouring public physicians, stone statues, bronze figurines, and engraved gemstones. Together with the instrumentation, the publication will show how they encompass most aspects of ancient medicine and represent starting points from which to develop discussions of strategies for health and healing.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: British Museum Press

Strategies for preserving health and preventing and treating illness and disease have been discerned in the surviving written records and material remains of most societies since earliest times. Compared to the prehistoric past, the evidence for the ancient Greek and Roman periods is comparatively full, though still sparse or lacking in some key areas. Most accounts of the history of Greek and Roman medicine are based on ancient medical texts. As a study of the subject through its material remains, this book will be a unique and major contribution to the understanding of ancient medical implements and surgical instruments, surgery, and the history of medicine.

In addition to medical instruments, the British Museum collection also includes an important range of objects that help to illustrate the multi-faceted approach to healing in antiquity. They include one of the largest holdings of collyrium-stamps, small inscribed stone tablets used to mark sticks of eye medicine; Greek inscriptions honouring public physicians; stone statues, bronze figurines, and engraved gemstones depicting the principal healer deities; and marble and terracotta models of body parts (‘anatomical votives) dedicated to the healer deities by those seeking divine cures. Together with the instrumentation, the publication will show how they encompass most aspects of ancient medicine and represent starting points from which to develop discussions of strategies for health and healing.

Weight: 964g
Dimension: 210 x 297 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780861592326