Military Physicians in the Ancient Roman Army BC 27- AD 450: Origin, Age, Education and Social Status

Year 2024, , 330 - 346, 31.05.2024

Sait Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.31020/mutftd.1432138

Abstract

Object: In Ancient Rome, which had a militaristic social structure, the treatment of injured soldiers, the place where army camps would be established, unknown diseases in the conquered regions and the determination of the places where treatments would be carried out must have been very important. However, until the reign of the first Emperor Augustus, practices regarding the treatment of soldiers were irregular and neglected. This study sheds light on the often obscure subject of military medicine and the situation in the army through various epigraphic findings dating back to the Roman period and other classical literary sources. Deployed army medical units are examined for social status, education, age and origin.
Material and Methods: Although there are some accepted assumptions about how sick and wounded soldiers were treated in the centuries before the imperial period, it is difficult to answer this situation. In the Principate Period, contrary to previous practices, there were many medical personnel with different titles and names in each unit of the Roman army. Physicians are divided into different statuses and ranks throughout the military. In the study, the military aspect of the medical profession in ancient Rome was discussed with its historical sociological dimension.
Results: Firstly, comments on military medicine and medicine were examined through literary sources of Livius, Dionysios Halicarnassos, Tacitus, Cicero, Silius Italicus, Caesar and Vegetius. On the other hand, among the 800 inscriptions referring to physicians, there are 108 epipraphic materials that mention military physicians.
Conclusion: All archaeological findings and written sources reveal that all the advancements in the medical profession were made through military physicians compared to civilian physicians.

Keywords

Rome, Army, Medicine, Physicians

Eski Roma Ordusunda Askeri Hekimler MÖ 27-MS 450: Köken, Yaş, Eğitim ve Sosyal Statü

Abstract

Amaç: Militarist bir toplum yapısına sahip olan Eski Roma’da, yaralanan askerlerin tedavisi, ordu kamplarının kurulacağı yer, ele geçirilen bölgelerdeki bilinmeyen hastalıklar ve tedavilerin yapılacağı yerlerin belirlenmesi, oldukça önemliydi. Fakat ilk İmparator Augustus dönemine kadar, askerlerin tedavilerine ilişkin uygulamalar düzensizdir ve ihmal edilmiştir. Bu çalışma Roma dönemine tarihlenen çeşitli epigrafik bulgu ve klasik edebi diğer kaynaklar üzerinden, çoğunlukla belirsiz olan askeri tıp konusuna ve ordudaki yapılanmasına ışık tutmayı amaçlamaktadır. Görevli ordu tıbbi birlikleri sosyal statü, eğitim, yaş ve köken olarak incelenmektedir.
Gereç ve Yöntem: İmparatorluk dönemi öncesinde hasta ve yaralı askerlerin nasıl tedavi edildiği sorusuna kabul edilen bazı varsayımlar olsa da bu duruma cevap vermek zordur. Principatus Dönemi’nde ise önceki uygulamalara karşılık Roma ordusunun her biriminde farklı unvan ve isimlere sahip çok sayıda tıbbi personel bulunmaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışmada Eski Roma’da hekimlik mesleğinin askeri yönü, tarihsel ve sosyolojik boyutuyla tartışılmıştır.
Bulgular: İlk olarak Livius, Dionysios Halikarnassos, Tacitus, Cicero, Silius İtalicus, Caesar, Vegetius’a ait edebi kaynaklar üzerinden askeri hekimlik ve tıbbına dair yorumlar incelenmiştir. Diğer yandan hekimlere atfeden 800 yazıt içinde askeri hekimlerden söz eden, 108 epigrafik kaynak bulunmaktadır.
Sonuç: Arkeolojik bütün bulgular ve yazılı kaynaklar, hekimlik mesleğinin gelişim kaydeden bütün ilerlemelerinin sivil hekimlere kıyasla askeri hekimler aracılığıyla yapıldığını ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

Roma, Ordu, Tıp, Hekimlik

References

• 1. Porter R. Blood and guts, a short history of medicine. New York: W. W. Norton & Company; 2002.
• 2. Cohen C. The story of science. a history of science technology and medicine from 5000 BC to the end of the 20th century. London: Whitefox, 2011; Castiglioni, A. A history of medicine. New York: Alfred-A-Knopf, 1947; Salem SI. “Medicine in ancient Mesopotamia”. In H. Selin (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (Vol. 1 A-K, pp. 1518-1521). New york: Kluver Academic Publishers; 2006.
• 3. Singer C. Underwood EA. A short history of medicine. Oxford: The Clarendon Press; 1962.
• 4. Ferngren GB, Amundsen DW. “Medicine” In G. B. Ferngren (Eds.), The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition: an Encyclopedia (pp. 556-563). New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2000; David, R. “Rationality versus ırrationality” In Egyptian medicine ın the pharaonic and Graeco-Roman periods. In H. F. J. Horstmanshoff (Eds.), Magic and rationalıty ın ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman medicine(pp. 133-153). Boston: Brill; 2004.
• 5. Neuburger M. History of medicine. (Ernest Playfair, Eng. Trans.). London: Oxford University Press; 1910.
• 6. Elliott JS. Outlines of Greek and Roman medicine. New York: William Wood and Company; 1914.
• 7. Cilliers L. Medical practice in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Curationis 2006; 29(2):34-40.
• 8. Guthrie D. A History of Medicine. London: Thomas Nel Ltd; 1945.
• 9. Parker S. Medicine, the definitive illustrated history. New York: DK, 2016; NuttonV. Ancient medicine. London: Routledge, 2004.
• 10. King H. Greek and roman medicine. London: Bristol Classicall Press, 2001; Jones WHS. Ancient Roman folk medicine. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 12(4), 459-472; Ferngren, G. B. Roman lay attitudes towards medical experimentation. Bulletin of the History of Medicine 59(4), 495-505.
• 11. Kelly K. The history of medicine. early civilizations. prehistoric times to 500 C.E. New York: An imprint of Infobase Publishing, 2009; Scarborough J. Roman medicine. London: Cornell University Press; 1969.
• 12. Dionysios Halicarnassos, Antiquitates Romanae: Halicarnassos, D. The Roman Antiquities IX- X (Earnest Gary, Eng. Trans.) London: Harvard University Press; 1963.
• 13. Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri: Livius T. The Early History of Rome I-V (Aubrey De Selincourt, Stephen Oakley, Eng. Trans.). London: Penguin Classics; 2006.
• 14. Scriptores Historiae Augustae: Spartianus A. Historia Augusta II (David Magie, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press; 1993.
• 15. Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri: Livius T. The History of Rome from its Foundation VI-X (Betty Radice, Robert M.Ogilvie, Eng. Trans.). London: Penguin Classics; 1982.
• 16. Tacitus, Annales: Tacitus. The Annals Of Imperial Rome (Michael Grant, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press; 1996.
• 17. C. Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico: Caesar C. Julius. The Gallic War (H. J. Edwards, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press; 1958.
• 18. Gaius Secundus Tranquillus, De vita Caesarum: Tranquillus, G. S. On iki Caesar’ın yaşamı. (Çev. F. Telatar-G. Özaktürk). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları; 2008.
• 19. Plutarchos, Vitae Parallelae: Plutarchos. Plutarch's Lives, Volume III: Pericles and Fabius Maximus. Nicias and Crassus (Bernadotte Perrin, Eng. Trans.). London: William Heinemann Ltd.; G.P. Putnam's Sons.
• 20. M. Tullius Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes: Cicero MT. The Tusculan Disputations Of Cicero (W. H. Main, Eng. Trans). London: HardPress. 1824.
• 21. Nutton V. Medıcıne And The Roman Army: A Further Reconsideratıon, Medical History 1969;13:260-270.
• 22. Silius İtalicus, Punicorum: İtalicus. Punica, Books 1-8 (J. D. Duff, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press; 1934.
• 23. Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri: Livius T.. Rome And The Medıterranean XXXI-XLV (Henry Bettenson, Eng. Trans.). London: Penguin Classics; 1976.
• 24. Xenophon, Anabasis: Ksenophon. On Binler’in Dönüşü (Çev. Ari Çokona). İstanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları. 2018.
• 25. Flavius Vegetius Renatus, De Re Militarii = Renatus, F. V. (2019). Roma Savaş Sanatı (Çev. Samet Özgüler) İstanbul: Kronik Kitap. 26. Flemming R. Gendering medical provision. In E. Hemelrijk, G. Woolf (Eds.), Women and the Roman city in the Latin West. Boston: Brill; 2013. pp: 271-293.
• 27. Bader P. The identity, legal status and origin of the Roman army’s medical staff in the Imperial Age. In B. Maire (Eds.), Greek and Roman in Latin medical texts (pp. 43-61). Boston: Brill. 2014; Campbell DB. Did the Roman army have a medical corps? Evidence, for Medics amongst the milites. Ancient Warfare VI-4.46-51. 1990.
• 28. Byrne EH. Medicine in the Roman army. The Classical Journal 1910;5(6):267-272.
• 29. Israelowich I. Medical care in the Roman army during the High Empire. In W.V. Harris (Eds.), Popular medicine in Graeco-Roman antiquity: explorations (pp. 215-231). Boston: Brill. 2016. ; Salazar CF. The Treatment of War Wounds in Graeco-Roman Antiquity. In R. S. Bagnall (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, Blackwell Publishing, pp. 4391-4392.2013; Aparaschivei, D. (2012). Physicians and medicine in the Roman army of Moesia, Inferior. Dacia NS., tome LVI, 99-118.
• 30. Nutton V. Ancient medicine. London: Routledge, 2004.
• 31. Cilliers L. Medical practice in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Curationis 2006;29(2):34-40.
• 32. Cesarik M, et al. Roman Military Medicine and Croatian Archaeological Perspectives. Coll. Antropol 2016;40(3):1-6.
• 33. Baker PA. Medical Carefor the Roman Army on the Rhine, Danube and British Frontiers in the First, Second and Early Third Centuries AD. Newcastle: Newcastle University Library, 2000.
• 34. Jones LA. Health Care in the Roman North. Britannia 1999;30:133-146.
• 35. Scarborough J. Roman medicine and the legions: a reconsideratıon, Med. Hist 1968;12(3):254-261.
• 36. Speidel MA. The Roman Army. In Bruun C., Edmondson J. (Eds) The Oxford Handbook of Roman Epigraphy. (pp. 319-340). New York: Oxford University Press. 2015.
• 37. Bruun C, Edmondson J. The Epigrapher At Work. In C. Bruun and J. Edmondson (Eds.) Roman Epigraphy (pp. 3-21). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2015; Şahin H. (2016). Latin epigrafisine giriş. İstanbul: Homer Kitapevi.
• 38. Callum JEM. Military medicine. California: Abc-Clio, 2008.
• 39. Gabriel RA. Man and Wound in the Ancient World. Washington: Potomac Books, 2012
• 40. Israelowich I. Patients and healers in the high Roman Empire. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015
• 41. Sutcliffe J, Nancy D, Van Urk H. A history of medicine from prehistory to the year 2020. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1992
• 42. Flavius Vegetius Renatus, De Re Militarii = Renatus FV. (2019). Roma Savaş Sanatı (Çev. Samet Özgüler) İstanbul: Kronik Kitap, 2019. ; Dolmans, M. “Medical Service: Principate” In Y. L. Bhoec (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of the Roman Army, (pp. 643-644.). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published, 2015.
• 43. Castiglioni A. A history of medicine. New York: Alfred-A-Knopf, 1947.
• 44. Kelly K. The history of medicine. early civilizations. prehistoric times to 500 C.E. New York: An imprint of Infobase Publishing, 2009.
• 45. Cruse A. Roman medicine. Cheltenham: Tempus Pub Ltd, 2004; Belfiglio VJ. - Sullivan SI. Roman Military Medicine: Survival in the Modern Wilderness. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
• 46. Wesselingh R. From Milites Medici to Army Medics – A two thousand year tradition of military medicine. Journal of Military and Veterans Health 2008;16(4):28-30.
• 47. Karaimamoğlu T. Orta Çağ Avrupa’sında Hastanelerin Kuruluş Süreci ve Üstlendikleri Görevler. Tarih Okulu Dergisi 2022;15(56): 89-107.
• 48. Vitruvius De Architectura: Vitruvius. The Ten Books On Architecture (Morris Hicky Morgan, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press, 1914. ; Marcus Terentius Varro, De re rustica: Varro MT. On farming (Lloyd Storr, Eng. Trans.). London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd. 1912; Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, De Re Rustica: Columella LJM. On Agriculture I-IV (Harrison Boyd, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press, 1960.
• 49. Magner LN. A history of medicine. New York: Taylor-Francis Group Llc, 2005. ; Dawson, I. Greek and Roman medicine. New York: Enchanted Lion Books, 2005.
• 50. Hanson AE. “Doctors’ literacy and papyri of medical content” In Horstmanshoff, M. (Eds.). Hippocrates and Medical Education (pp. 187-204). Boston: Brill, 2010. ; Penn, R. G. Medical Services of The Roman Army. J R Army Med Corps, 110, 253-258.
• 51. Scarborough J. Roman medicine. London: Cornell University Press, 1969.
• 52. Jackson R. Roma imparatorluğunda doktorlar ve hastalıklar. (Çev. Şenol Mumcu). İstanbul: Homer Kitapevi, 1999. ; Mattern, S. P. Physicians and the Roman imperial aristocracy: the patronage of therapeutics. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 73(1), 1-18.
• 53. Haberling WG. Die altrömischen Militärärzte. Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1910.
• 54. Cassius Dio, Historiae Romanae: Dio, C. Roman History, IX: Books LXXI-LXXX. (Earnest Gary, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press. 1955.
• 55. Cassius Dio, Historiae Romanae: Dio, C. Roman History, VI: Books 51-55 (Earnest Gary, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press. 1955. ; Aelius Spartianus, Scriptores Historiae Augustae: Spartianus A. Historia Augusta II (David Magie, Eng. Trans.). London: Harvard University Press. 1993.