Modules

Galen and Galenism (CLAM081)

15 credits

The physician Galen of Pergamum (AD 129 – ca. 216) was one of the most influential intellectual figures of Graeco-Roman antiquity. He was extraordinarily prolific, and his surviving writings account for some 10% of all extant ancient Greek literature, with further treatises being regularly rediscovered to this day. There has been an explosion of scholarly interest in recent years, revealing a much more complex and remarkable figure than had previously been assumed. In this module, you will explore the many facets of Galen and his work: not only Galen as doctor, but also as philosopher, polemicist, associate of the Imperial family, Greek intellectual under the Roman Empire, theologian, and scientist. You will also evaluate his legacy up the present day, when forms of his medical system are still being practised in various parts of the world. All texts will be studied in translation, and no prior knowledge is required.