Deux vases turons mutilés et inscrits du Haut-Empire : des objets entre pharmacopée et pratiques magiques ?
The discovery of two mutilated vases, a 1stcentury flask and a 2nd-3rdcentury carinated beaker in Amboise and Tours (Indre-et-Loire), bearing partially similar graffiti, is the source of the present study. Thus, the first vase contained a therapeutic preparation intended, acc...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
| Published: |
Presses universitaires du Midi
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Pallas |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/pallas/25850 |
| Summary: | The discovery of two mutilated vases, a 1stcentury flask and a 2nd-3rdcentury carinated beaker in Amboise and Tours (Indre-et-Loire), bearing partially similar graffiti, is the source of the present study. Thus, the first vase contained a therapeutic preparation intended, according to Pliny the Elder, to treat a skin infection, while the second, partially charred, contained poached red wine. Comparisons made with the graffiti – a similar sign to the letter A, an eight-pointed star and the beginning of a Greek alphabet engraved on one of the vases – lead to the identification of charaktêres, similar to those found on some beneficial magic amulets, intended to reinforce the efficiency of medical products. These vases would thus testify to the porosity of the boundaries between “pharmacopoeia” type knowledge and magical rites. They also raise questions concerning the mutilations observed on the vases, probably in connection with disease transfer rites. |
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| ISSN: | 0031-0387 2272-7639 |