A Republican Healing-Sanctuary at Ponte Di Nona Near Rome and The Classical Tradition of Votive Medicine

Feet and fertility in the healing temples: a symbolic communication system between gods and men?

“…Interestingly, the percentage of their proportion also mirrors the Corinthian findings 39. By way of example, we can furnish some numerical data concerning anatomical votives from archaeological contexts near Rome: The Thirteenth Altars in Lavinium, a federal ancient sanctuarium later associated with the cult of Ceres (V-III century BC), contained 207 lower limbs (in comparison with over a hundred upper limbs and a few other body parts);40 41 at Ponte di Nona, a Republican rural healing sanctuary devoted to an unidentified deity, 8400 anatomical pieces have been recorded, 6000 of which consist of feet and hands;42 from the temple of Asclepius in Fregellae, dating from the II century BC, a total of about 4000 votives of which 1654 are feet; at Nemi, in a sacred area frequented from V century BC up to the Late Imperial Age, where the temple devoted to Diana, goddess protecting fertility and childbirth, revealed a very low percentage of anatomical votives dealing with pregnancy or female disorders in comparison to a strong prevalence for feet and legs 43 44. Etruscan temples (ie, Tarquinia, Veii, Ara della Regina, Vulci, Punta della Vipera, Tessennano), although not entirely consistent in their dating, bear witness to similar numerical proportions;45–47 the same is true in Southern Italy, for example, at the ancient site of Cuma, dating from the IV-II century BC, where a healing cult with components of fertility has been attested by the presence of anatomical votives with a strong prevalence for hands and feet, which match the data from Etruscan and Central-Italian deposits very well 48–50…”

The ancient Mediterranean anatomical votives: the cultural and historical phenomenon of the representation of biological and medical knowledge (from literary sources)

“…Ñàìîé áîëüøîé êàòåãîðèåé ïî ÷èñëåííîñòè àíàòîìè÷åñêèõ âîòèâîâ ÿâëÿþòñÿ èçîáðàaeåíèÿ êîíå÷íîñòåé, êîòîðûì ïðèïèñûâàþò êàê ëå÷åáíûå, òàê è ñèìâîëè÷åñêèå ôóíêöèè. Òàê, íàïðèìåð, â îêðåñòíîñòÿõ Ðèìà, â ñåëüñêîì ñâÿòèëèùå Ponte di Nona îáíàðóaeåíî îêîëî 8,5 òû-ñÿ÷ âîòèâîâ ýòîé êàòåãîðèè, íà îñíîâàíèè ÷åãî äåëàåòñÿ âûâîä î ñïåöèàëèçàöèè ñâÿòèëèùà (êàê è ìíîãèõ äðóãèõ ñåëüñêèõ ñâÿòèëèù) íà òðàâìàõ, êîòîðûå áûëè íàèáîëåå ÷àñòûìè ïðîáëåìàìè íàñåëåíèÿ, çàíÿòîãî â àãðàðíîì ñåêòîðå [Potter, Wells, 1985].…”

Anatomical Votive Reliefs as Evidence for Specialization at Healing Sanctuaries in the Ancient Mediterranean World

“…The basic study isPotter and Wells (1985), who excavated the site. See nowGriffith (2013) for the context.2 Potter (1989, 25, 91).…”