Health, Disease and Medicine in the Prehistoric Aegean

1.         Complimentary to my own research on disease, healing and medicine in the Aegean Bronze Age, I am proposing to organise and host in September 2007 an International Colloquium on Health, Disease and Medicine in the Prehistoric Aegean, with specific reference to Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations. The aim of the colloquium will be not only to expand our understanding in this field but also to allow researchers from various disciplines to meet and work together, particularly as a number of important developments have taken place in our understanding of health (and medicine) in the period, particularly through advances in the field of archaeological science.

2.         This colloquium would be the fourth in a series of interdisciplinary conferences on the general theme of the Archaeology of Medicine organised by the Centre for the History of Medicine of the University of Birmingham Medical School (UK). The first in 1998 was entitled ‘The Archaeology of Medicine’ [published as Robert Arnott (ed.), The Archaeology of Medicine, Oxford, 2002 - BAR International Series 1046]; and the second in 2000 concerned ‘Cranial Trepanation in the Ancient World’ [published as Robert Arnott, Stanley Finger and C. U. M. Smith (eds.), Trepanation: History, Discovery, Theory, Lisse, Swets and Zeitlinger, 2003]. The third was in the summer of 2004 (organised jointly with the Society for Ancient Medicine) on the subject of ‘Anatomical Knowledge in the Ancient World’, the proceedings of which will be edited by Lesley Dean-Jones and myself and published later this year.

3.         As with the other meetings, it is anticipated that this would also be of a multi-disciplinary character, with hopefully contributions from archaeologists, Linear B scholars, physical anthropologists (especially palaeopathologists), archaeological scientists, medical historians and others who have more of a general interest. The theme of the colloquium is broad enough to encompass all aspects of health and disease – such as health status, diet, pubic health and hygiene, water supply and sanitation, disease, trauma, occupational health, medicine and surgery and other forms of healing.

4.         A number of colleagues have already expressed an interest in attending and offering papers, and I am encouraged to proceed. I am now seeking to establish wider interest from other established scholars, graduate students and others in potentially participating and/or offering papers. Please reply directly to me offline on R.G.Arnott@bham.ac.uk if you are interested.

ROBERT ARNOTT
Reader in the History and Archaeology of Medicine
Sub-Dean of Medicine
Director of the Centre for the History of Medicine
The Medical School
University of Birmingham
Birmingham  B15 2TT   (UK)
Tel.:      0121-414 6804 (Voicemail)
Fax:      0121-414 4036
Email:   R.G.Arnott@bham.ac.uk
 
Personal Assistant: Miss Michelle Lee
Tel.:      0121-415 8174 (Voicemail)
Email:   M.Lee.3@bham.ac.uk

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::Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:55:55 AM::