Talk: Green Osiris: exploring some aspects of Ancient Egyptian medicine with Paula Veiga
Date: Sunday 5 January, 15.00
Location: Online on Zoom
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Talk information
What began as an idea suggested by an Hieratic papyrus in the British Museum in late 2007, is now a work-in-progress for Paula Veiga. Her PhD research addresses ancient Egyptians’ ability to explain the efficacy of some plants, by associating them with the body of the god Osiris. The textual association of an arm, a leg, a fluid, a hair, or other Osiris’ body part with a determined plant, is a new angle of study. Why were these plants so frequently used in medico-magical prescriptions, was it because they were issued from a body part of Osiris? By looking into their textual, iconographical, and symbolic association with Osiris, there is room to provide a probable explanation.
Who was Osiris, who gathered epithets such as: the god of the deceased, who had so many followers (all deceased were an Osiris n NN), but also the god of agriculture, ensuring prosperity, both in life and the afterlife? Using both physical ingredients, and prophylaxis (performing magic, obeying liturgy rites, providing funerary offerings, and depicting ‘codified’ tomb iconography), the ancient Egyptians may have used Osiris’ body parts as acknowledgement features for the efficacy of some plant ingredients.
The answer to the proposed questions is that, in ancient Egypt, the religious beliefs may have served the purpose of contemporary science, filling the gaps of knowledge and belief, in an era with no technology as we know it now, in a civilization with an alternative explanation to pinpoint the excellency of some substances in the attempt to ensure a cure for various ailments.
While specimens collected in situ by archaeological missions have proved these plants existed in the territory (either native or imported), and were used as nourishments, and as medical ingredients, their mythological, funerary, and iconographical recorded sources have established a bridge between their coming into existence, and their medical uses.
This approach is of course challenged, as there are still obstacles preventing the presentation of a final conclusion on the group of chosen plants, such as the inability to match some of the plants’ Egyptian name, and the scientific denomination (Linnaeus). Other difficulties arise from the fact that it is difficult to ascertain which aspect of Osirian association was more important, and why. For now, there is already plenty of information to present, and there are much more sources to be found under the sands of Egypt.
Paula Veiga is a PhD candidate at LMU, University Ludwig-Maximilians, Munich, Germany; Assistant Researcher at the University of Lisboa Centre for History, Portugal