„You Cannot Judge a Book by Its Cover” : Considerations on Some Plants in the Pharaonic Medical Literature

Urzì, Elena (2022) „You Cannot Judge a Book by Its Cover” : Considerations on Some Plants in the Pharaonic Medical Literature. In: Aegyptus et Pannonia VIII. : Acta Symposii anno 2021. Magyar-Egyiptomi Baráti Társaság, Ókori Egyiptomi Bizottság, Budapest, pp. 239-246. ISBN 978-615-6571-02-1

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Abstract

Egyptian pharmacopoeia consists of many ingredients still unclear, especially the vegetal components. Albeit scholars do not know exactly the species of many plants, the application of some of them can be recognised as ritual. Generally, two clues suggest a correlation with magic: 1) in formulas reporting mythological events, the ingredients quoted in the myth are recalled in the final rubrum; 2) the presence of vegetal species directly linked to gods: plants are used in replacement of the deity connected to them. Moving along these two general clues, this paper aims at analysing individual case studies to discuss the actual use of these ingredients, to better understand how the ancient Egyptians took advantage of magic in the medical practice.

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