Bodies of Evidence: Ancient Anatomical Votives Past, Present and FutureJane Draycott, Emma-Jayne Graham Dedicating objects to the divine was a central component of both Greek and Roman religion. Some of the most conspicuous offerings were shaped like parts of the internal or external human body: so-calledanatomical votives. These archaeological artefacts capture the modern imagination, recalling vividly the physical and fragile bodies of the past whilst posing interpretative challenges in the present. This volume scrutinises this distinctive dedicatory phenomenon, bringing together for the first time a range of methodologically diverse approaches which challenge traditional assumptions and simple categorisations. The chapters presented here ask new questions about what constitutes an anatomical votive, how they were used and manipulated in cultural, cultic and curative contexts and the complex role of anatomical votives in negotiations between humans and gods, the body and its disparate parts, divine and medical healing, ancient assemblages and modern collections and collectors. In seeking to re-contextualise and re-conceptualise anatomical votives this volume uniquely juxtaposes the medical with the religious, the social with the conceptual, the idea of the body in fragments with the body whole and the museum with the sanctuary, crossing the boundaries between studies of ancient religion, medicine, the body and the reception of antiquity. |
Contents
1 | |
anatomical votives and the confession stelai of Lydia and Phrygia | 20 |
anatomical votives and personhood in the sanctuaries of central Italy | 45 |
from Republican Italy to Roman Gaul | 63 |
the use of real false and artificial hair as votive offerings | 77 |
5 Demeter as an ophthalmologist? Eye votives and the cult of Demeter and Kore | 95 |
6 Wombs for the gods | 112 |
contextualising votive terracotta infants in Hellenistic Italy | 131 |
8 The foot as gnṓrisma | 147 |
anatomical votive busts between the history of medicine and archaeology | 165 |
reassessing the body in parts | 193 |
modern receptions of ancient sexual anatomy | 214 |
an afterword | 237 |
241 | |
269 | |
Other editions - View all
Bodies of Evidence: Ancient Anatomical Votives Past, Present and Future Jane Draycott Limited preview - 2017 |
Bodies of Evidence: Ancient Anatomical Votives Past, Present and Future Jane Louise Draycott,Emma-Jayne Graham No preview available - 2017 |
Bodies of Evidence: Ancient Anatomical Votives Past, Present and Future Jane Draycott,Emma-Jayne Graham No preview available - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
Aelius Aristides anatomical ex-votos anatomical votives ancient world antiquity artefacts Asclepieion Asclepius attested Bartoloni and Benedettini breasts bronze bulla busts Cazanove central Italy Chaniotis chapter classical Comella confession stelai context corpus cult Decouflé dedicated deity Demeter depicted disability display dividual divine epigraphic Etruscan evidence example excavations eye-shaped eyes feet female Figure footprints fourth century BC fragments Fregellae Glinister goddess gods Greek hair Haumesser head healing human body identified inscriptions internal organs Italy Jane Draycott Latium legs medicine models modern Museum objects particular person Petsalis-Diomidis Petzl plaques practice present punished relationship relief religious represent representations ritual Roman Rome sacred Sambon sanctuary sculpture second century sexual Source specific stele Straten studies suggests Tarquinii temple terracotta terracotta votives Tessennano tion torso Turfa uteri uterus Veii visual votive deposit votive genitalia votive offerings votive wombs Vulci Wellcome Collection Wellcome Library Wellcome’s worship