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

Year 2024, Volume: 14 Issue: 2, 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

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