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Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/487

Context

We know little about the life of Aëtius (mid-5th to mid-6th centuries), who is remembered as one of the great medical thinkers of Late Antiquity. Originally from Amida in northwestern Mesopotamia, he studied in Alexandria and travelled extensively in the Levant, and apparently he was associated with the Imperial court as an erudite Christian. His encyclopedic manual on “medical practice” (ἰατρικά) covers many topics pertaining to illness and injury, including much information on substances, treatments, and natural remedies. In this passage, Aëtius discusses the composition of rhoidarion, a red powdery application used probably as a cosmetic. This recipe identifies talc as a special export of Caesarea Palestinae.

Text

Ῥοιδαρίου σκευασία. Σκευάζεται μὲν ποικίλως τὸ ῥοιδάριον· ἐστὶ δὲ καὶ αὕτη ἀρίστη σκευασία. λαβὼν λαχχὰ ἀπόβρεχε ὕδατι καὶ λεάνας λίθον τὸν κουφόλιθον λεγόμενον ἐπίχεε ἐκ τοῦ ἀποβρέγματος τῷ κουφολίθῳ καὶ ἔα ξηραίνεσθαι καὶ λαβὼν ῥίζαν ἀγχούσης ἕψε σὺν ἐλαίῳ ἕως τὸ ἔλαιον πυρρὸν γένηται καὶ ἐπίβαλλε ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὀλίγον καὶ λείου καὶ ἔα ξηραίνεσθαι ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ιε´ καὶ πάλιν ἐπίβαλλε ἐκ τοῦ ἀποβρέγματος τοῦ λαχχᾶ καὶ ἔα ξηρανθῆναι, ἔπειτα βαλὼν εἰς ὀστράκινον ἄγγος καὶ φιμώσας ὄπτα· καὶ ἔσται ῥοιδάριον καλόν. Κομίζεται δὲ τὸ κουφόλιθον ἀπὸ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης. οἱ δὲ ἀποροῦντες κουφολίθου, ἀσβέστῳ χρῶνται εἰς τὴν σκευασίαν.1

Textual Note

Ed. Olivieri 1935

Corrigenda Note

Minor corrections (punctuation)

Translation

The preparation of rhoidarion. Rhoidarion is prepared variously, but this is the best preparation. Take lancha and steep it in water. Grind down the stone called talc, and pour from the infusion (of lancha) into the talc, and let it dry out. Take root of alkanet and boil it with olive oil until the oil becomes reddish yellow, and add a little from the olive oil and emulsify, and let it dry out for 15 days. And again add from the infusion of lancha and let it dry; and then apply it to a clay vessel, seal the mouth, and fire it. This will make the good rhoidarion. The talc is brought from Caesarea Palestinae, but those lacking talc can use lime for the preparation.

Translation Note

Trans. J. L. Rife

Works Cited

  • 1 Aëtius of Amida, Aëtii Amideni libri medicinales i-iv, ed. Alexander Olivieri, Corpus medicorum Graecorum, 8.1 (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1935), bk: 2, ch: 38.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

Copyright and License for Reuse

Except for materials quoted from other sources, this entry is copyright 2023 by the contributors (Joseph L. Rife, et al.) and the Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project. It is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Some texts quoted in this entry may be in the public domain in the United States. No copyright is asserted for these quotations.

Some texts quoted in this entry may have copyright restrictions and are reused under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 (Title 17 of the United States Code) which permits “fair use” of copyrighted materials for purposes such as criticism, comment, scholarship, and research. These texts remain under copyright of their owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/487.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/487.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Aëtius of Amida, Medical Practice 2.68”

Additional Credit:

  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
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