Non est mea pigra senectus: Old Women and Folk Medicine in Greco-roman Literature
Author
View
Keywords
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How To Cite
Abstract
This paper will examine the old-woman healer figure through Greco-Roman literary sources. First, I will discuss briefly the social reputation of old women in comparison with senex and the creation of a negative stereotype around them. After that, I will focus on the triple relation between woman, old age, and medicine in order to show the reputation of old women as skilled healers. Finally, I will analyse the use of different treatments close to magic, like enchantments and purifications, and the healings of some specific illnesses, such as love, to conclude with a brief overview of the political and social attitude towards them.