Prosthetics and Assistive Technology in Ancient Greece and Rome

225 Pages·2022·4.048 MB·English

by  Jane Draycott

PROSTHETICS AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
IN ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
This is the first comprehensive study of prosthetics and assistive
technology in classical antiquity, integrating literary, documentary,
archaeological, and bioarchaeological evidence to provide as full
a picture as possible of their importance for the lived experience of
peoplewithdisabilitiesatthattime.Thevolumeisnotonlyaworkof
disabilityhistorybutalsooneofmedical,scientific,andtechnological
history, and so will be of interest to members of multiple academic
disciplines across multiple historical periods. The chapters cover
extremity prostheses; facial prostheses; prosthetic hair; the design,
commission,andmanufactureofprosthesesandassistivetechnology;
andtheroleofcaregiversinthelivesofancientpeoplewithimpair-
mentsanddisabilities.Lavishlyillustrated,thestudyfurthercontains
informativetablesthatcollatetheaforementioneddifferenttypesof
evidenceinaneasilyaccessibleway.
jane draycott isLecturerinAncientHistoryattheUniversityof
Glasgow.Herresearchinvestigatesscience,technology,andmedicine
intheancientworld.Shehaspublishedextensivelyonthehistoryand
archaeology of medicine, impairment, and disability in the ancient
world,includingthemonographsRomanDomesticMedicalPracticein
CentralItalyfromtheMiddleRepublictotheEarlyEmpire(2019)and
ApproachestoHealinginRomanEgypt(2012),andtheeditedvolumes
Prostheses in Antiquity (2019) and Bodies of Evidence: Ancient
AnatomicalVotivesPast,PresentandFuture(2017).

PROSTHETICS AND
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
IN ANCIENT GREECE
AND ROME
JANE DRAYCOTT
UniversityofGlasgow
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781009168397
doi:10.1017/9781009168410
©JaneDraycott2023
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For Isabel Ruffell, with thanks.

Contents
ListofFigures pageviii
ListofTables x
Acknowledgements xi
ListofAbbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 ExtremityProsthesesandAssistiveTechnology 40
2 FacialProstheses 73
3 HairProstheses 102
4 Design,Commission,andManufactureofProstheses 124
5 LivingProstheses 154
Conclusion 169
References 176
IndexLocorum 195
Index 200
vii
Figures
I.1 PagefromJacobdeVoragine’sTheGoldenLegend page3
manuscript.
I.2 Greekvotiverelief. 6
I.3 AngleseyLeg. 13
I.4 Naturallyusefulgreave. 17
I.5 Gleed3Dgreave. 18
I.6 AuldearnAntiquesgreave. 19
I.7 MedicalcorsetbelongingtoFridaKahlo. 20
I.8 ProstheticlegbelongingtoFridaKahlo. 21
I.9 VineArmdesignedbytheAlternativeLimbProjectforKelly 22
Knox.
I.10 SnakeArmdesignedbytheAlternativeLimbProjectfor 23
Jo-JoCranfield.
I.11 FloralLegdesignedbytheAlternativeLimbProjectforKiera 24
Roche.
I.12 TurfanLimb. 26
1.1 Terracottafigurine. 41
1.2 Romanbonesaw. 46
1.3 Romantourniquet. 48
1.4 Silverdenarius,Rome,116–115BCE. 52
1.5 Longobardknifeprosthesis. 60
1.6 GrevilleChesterToe. 62
1.7 CairoToe. 62
1.8 ReplicaoftheCapuaLimb. 64
1.9 Red-figurechous,Attica,circa440–430BCE. 70
1.10 DetailfromaRomanmarblesarcophagus. 70
2.1 Graeco-Roman-Egyptianvoodoodoll. 75
2.2 Graeco-Roman-EgyptianMummyportrait. 78
2.3 Graeco-Romandentalforceps. 80
2.4 Scythianvase. 80
viii
ListofFigures ix
2.5 Etruscandentalappliance. 95
2.6 Etruscandentalappliance. 95
3.1 CorinthianPyxides,circafifthcenturyBCE. 103
3.2 Terracottaexvotos. 107
3.3 Terracottaexvoto,TempleofMinervaMedica,Rome,third 108
orsecondcenturyBCE.
3.4 Goldaureus,Rome,69CE. 113
3.5 Romanwig,York,late-thirdtoearly-fifthcenturyCE. 118
3.6 RomanhairpiecefromGurobintheFayum,latefirstor 118
earlysecondcenturyCE.
4.1 ‘MementoMori’mosaicfromthetricliniumoftheHouse/ 128
WorkshopI.5.2,Pompeii,30BCE–14CE.
4.2 Italianstatuette,thirdcenturyorsecondcenturyBCE. 131
4.3 FunerarymonumentofXanthippos,circa420BCE. 136
4.4 Romanrelief,secondcenturyCE. 138
4.5 Macedoniangreaves,fromthetombofPhilipIIof 140
Macedonia,Amphipolis.
4.6 DetailoftheThermaeBoxer,BathsofConstantine,Rome, 141
third–secondcenturyBCE.
4.7 Egyptianstrawhat,circa420–568CE. 145
4.8 ‘CupidsasGoldsmiths’frescofromtheHouseoftheVettii, 148
Pompeii,62–79CE.
5.1 ‘ThetisbittetHephaistos,fürihrenSohnAchilleuseine 155
Rüstungzuschmieden’byJohannHeinrichFüssli.
5.2 FrescofromStArchangelMichael’sChurch,theLesnovo 160
Monastery,Macedonia,1347CE.
5.3 Sectionfromthe‘ForumFrieze’frescofromtheatriumofthe 161
PraediaofJuliaFelix,Pompeii,62–79CE.
6.1 StillfromAssassin’sCreedOdyssey. 170