Scholars responsible for the health and wellbeing of the royal family
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asû 'physician' TT (24 letters [SAA 10: 314-337], 4 scholars): primarily therapies to cure (SAA 10: 318)
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āšipu 'exorcist' TT (129 letters [SAA 10: 185-313], 7 scholars): primarily therapies and rituals TT to cure and prevent (e.g. SAA 10: 222)
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bārû 'haruspex' TT (20 medical queries TT [SAA 4: 183-199; 274-278], none attributable): extispicies TT to determine causes, prognoses, effectiveness of medication (e.g., SAA 4: 185)
Case study: Urad-Nanaya PGP , 'chief physician' (15 letters [SAA 10: 297; 314-327], 1 co-authored)
- Treating the king (e.g., SAA 10: 315): diagnosis, instructions for therapy, extispicy, medication, amulets TT
- Reporting on treatments to other members of the royal family, especially babies (e.g., SAA 10: 319)
- Asking for time off (e.g., SAA 10: 320)
Case study: the Queen Mother's TT illness of 670 BC
- 'Exorcists' perform rituals against supernatural causes of illness (SAA 10: 200, 201)
- 'Haruspex' performs extispicy for prognosis (SAA 4: 190)
- Both 'exorcists' and 'physicians' report recovery (SAA 10: 244, 297), suggesting 'physicians'' involvement in treatment too
The king's medical advisors made no distinction between 'rational' therapy and 'irrational' magic. They drew on a range of strategies to maintain the royal family's health, involving both physical relief of suffering and spiritual purification TT , while providing the king with explanations of what they were doing and why.
Further reading
- Biggs, 'Medicine, surgery', 1995
- Farber, 'Witchcraft, magic', 1995
- Stol, 'Diagnosis and therapy', 1991-92
- Scurlock, 'Physician, exorcist', 1999
- Reiner, 'Magic figurines', 1987
- Ornan, 'Goddess Gula', 2004
- Scurlock and Anderson, Diagnoses, 2005
- Heeßel, 'Diagnosis, divination and disease', 2004
Content last modified: 07 Jul 2012.