This sourcebook provides an expansive picture of medicine, health, and healing in ancient Greece and Rome. Covering a wide array of fascinating topics—such as ancient diagnostic practices using the pulse and urine, gynecological theories of women’s illness, treatments involving drugs and surgery, the training and work of physicians, the experiences of patients, and various sites where healing took place—this volume will engage readers interested in the rich history of health and healthcare.

The volume brings together textual sources—many hard to access and some translated into English for the first time—as well as artistic, material, and scientific evidence, including:

Medical treatises
Case studies
Artistic works
Material artifacts
Archaeological evidence
Biomedical remains
Funerary monuments
Miracle narratives
Spells and magical recipes

With substantial explanation of these varied materials—through background chapters, introductions to the thematic chapters, a timeline, and a glossary—the volume is accessible to a broad audience.

Readers will come away with a nuanced understanding of the illnesses people in ancient Greece and Rome experienced, the range of healers from whom they sought help, and the various practices they employed to be healthy.

About the Author

Kristi Upson-Saia is David B. and Mary H. Gamble Professor of Religion at Occidental College. She is also Co-Founder/Co-Director of ReMeDHe, an international working group on religion, medicine, disability, and health in late antiquity.

Heidi Marx is Professor of Religion and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba. She is also Co-Founder/Co-Director of ReMeDHe.

Jared Secord is Coordinator of Scholars Programs at the University of Calgary. He previously taught at the University of Chicago and Washington State University and is author of Christian Intellectuals and the Roman Empire: From Justin Martyr to Origen.

From Our Blog

Author Q&A with Kristi Upson-Saia

Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean (500 BCE-600 CE) is a new sourcebook that provides an expansive picture of medical and healing practices in ancient Greece and Rome for students and readers interested in the rich history of health and healthcare. We sat down with one of the

Listen to the author interview on Biblical Time Machine

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Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean: Instructor's Guide

Reviews

"An admirably imaginative, clear, wide-ranging, informative and stimulating introduction to ancient medicine."
— Classics for All

"Plentiful illustrations, pedagogically soundly placed and well discussed definitions, helpful maps, concise and clear glossaries, and tabular overviews will greatly facilitate acquisition of knowledge relating to many basic aspects of ancient medicine."
— Greece & Rome

"The authors of this source book have compiled a significant and helpful corpus of both texts and images for the study of ancient health. It will prove useful and informative for undergraduate courses focusing on ancient health, and could easily be incorporated into larger survey courses at the upper undergraduate and graduate level."

— Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"This book is a worthy invitation to a historical and historians’ view of how health, healing and medicine were understood in different times."
— Studies in Religion

"Tarrant’s work provides a valuable overview of the evolving debates surrounding magic’s relationship to heresy in Europe over the course of the pre- and early modern periods."
— Comitatus

“This book will be a valuable primer to ancient healing as well as a primary sourcebook for students and scholars in a variety of disciplines.”—Andrew Crislip, author of Thorns in the Flesh: Illness and Sanctity in Early Christianity

"Ancient Mediterranean medical texts have shaped community and public health, religion, and social determinants of wellness across disciplines and into modern practices. This long-awaited sourcebook, a therapeutic bag of salutary treasures, addresses these topics with fresh translations, essays, and images. A welcome, practical tool for students, researchers, and anyone curious about the history of medical humanities and evidence-based healing."—Susan R. Holman, John R. Eckrich Chair and Professor of Religion and the Healing Arts, Valparaiso University

About the Book