THE IDEA OF MAN AND DIVINITY IN ANTIQUITY PART II: Healing dreams at Epidaurus. Analysis and interpretation of the Epidaurian iamata
Journal Title: Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica - Year 2014, Vol 15, Issue 4
Abstract
One type of the most important sources for the Epidaurian worship of Asclepius are theiamata inscriptions engraved on the four stelai that were erected in the fourth centuryBC by the authorities of a sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus. The body of the survivingtexts contains approximately seventy tales, which are basically records of the cures and‘medical therapies’ carried out by Asclepius. However, the iamata inscriptions cannot besimply considered as an official index of afflictions registered and healed at the Epidaurianmedical centre: the analysis of the particular inscriptions enables modern scholars to revealtheir didactic, moralistic, economic and even advertising role. In my paper, I discussdifferent aspects of the iamata: at the beginning, I cite the leading theories concerningthe nature, veracity and authenticity of the iamata, since this particular issue constantlyattracts scholarly attention and remains controversial. Subsequently, I retrace the developmentof the Asclepiad worship and explain the phenomenon of the spread of the cult ofAsclepius as healing god. Since the problem of the iamata cannot be discussed withoutreferences to other sources, in my paper I frequently refer to iconographical, architectonicand literary pieces of evidence. The cited sources enrich my research with diverseperspectives: visual evidence allows us to comprehend the healing process; accounts leftby the classical authors, in turn, offer us a glimpse of the ancients’ attitudes towards thephenomenon of the ‘divine healing’ in Epidaurus and other medical sites. Finally, the architectonicdetails and reports from archaeological excavations make it possible to reconstructto a degree the infrastructure of the most famous medical centre in the Greek andRoman world. The content of the preserved inscriptions together with the aforementioned evidence reveal a detailed picture of the Asclepiad worship, expressed through the phenomenonof the iamata inscriptions.
Authors and Affiliations
Monika Błaśkiewicz
Keywords
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