New English Paperback. 4to. (29 x 24 cm). In English and Turkish. 384 p., color and b/w ills. The famous aphorism of Hippocrates-'life is short, art long'-stands at the heart of this exhibition, which examines the art and practice of healing in Byzantium from Roman times to the late Byzantine period. It traces the concurrent methods of healing-faith, magic, and rational medicine-from the foundations laid by Apollo and Asklepios, healers of antiquity, as well as Hippocrates and Dioscorides, the founders of rational medicine. The fascinating coexistence of a belief in demons as the primary cause of illness and a rational perception of disease, grounded in Hippocratic teachings, come together in the protagonists of the "art of healing"-the physicians, druggists, saints, holy men, and magicians who healed the sick. The daily rituals involved in maintaining and pursuing well-being, protecting against demons, purifying the body and soul offer a glimpse into the daily life of the Byzantines. The exhibition catalogue illustrates the influence of Byzantium's ancient cultural heritage on religious and rational thought as well as contemporary scientific developments and innovations from around the Mediterranean. The catalogue is one of the most updated and extensive publication on the history and art of healing in Byzantium with essays written by the acclaimed academics and with various works, some of them being published for the first time. Contents; Preface; Dream Healing: From Asklepios to the Physician Saints, Vincent Déroche; Healing Miracles of Christ and the Saints, Nancy P. Sevcenko; Light, Water, and Wondrous Creatures: Supernatural Forces for Healing, Brigitte Pitarakis; Water and Healing in Constantinople Reading the Architectural Remains, Robert G. Ousterhout; Constantinople: City of Miraculous Healings, Alice-Mary Talbot; Medical Arts, Erudition, and Practice in the Byzantine Capital, Marie-Hélène Congourdeau; Contextualizing the Art of Healing by Byzantine Physicians, Petros Bouras-Vallianatos; Between the Past and the East Symeon Seth's Nutritional Advice to Michael VII Doukas, Frederick Lauritzen; The Manuscript Tradition of Dioscorides' De Materia Medica from Byzantium to the Arabs, Marie Cronier; Dioscorides and Beyond Imported Medicinal Plants in the Byzantine Empire, Koray Durak; Empowering Healing: Substances, Senses, and Rituals Brigitte Pitarakis; The Embodied Self in Byzantine Culture, Christos Merantzas; Catalogue; Bibliography; Photographic Credits; Map. ISBN: 9786054642427. BYZANTIUM History of medicine History of art Christianity Healing.
