Aetius of Amida, Books on Medicine

Aetius of Amida (6th century CE) is the creator of a large medical encyclopaedia in 16 books, which has survived in its entirety. Not all books exist in a printed edition, though. It is written in Greek and consists almost exclusively of excerpts taken from earlier Greek medical writers (such as Galen). His encyclopaedia is not only a locus of preservation for the fragments of otherwise lost works, but also a major testimony to the transfer of medical ideas in late antiquity. In Teilprojekt A03, we are studying Aetius’ methods of copying, abbreviation, compilation and reconfiguration of earlier medical material. We are also preparing critical editions and annotated translations of parts of his voluminous work.

In this fourth dedicated workshop, we will turn to the ninth book of Aetius’ Libri medicinales which is devoted to diseases of the digestive tract. Given that we are preparing a critical edition, a translation and a commentary of book nine, we will use this workshop to discuss the progress so far and to present our findings to invited experts in the field.

Please register with Ricarda Gäbel if you wish to participate.