Disabilities And The Disabled In The Roman World: A Social And Cultural History Beperkt. English

Almost fifteen per cent of the world's population today experiences some form of mental or physical disability and society tries to accommodate their needs. But what was the situation in the Roman world? Was there a concept of disability? How were the disabled treated? How did they manage in their daily lives? What answers did medical doctors, philosophers and patristic writers give for their problems? This book, the first monograph on the subject in English, explores the medical and material contexts for disability in the ancient world, and discusses the chances of survival for those who were born with a handicap. It covers the various sorts of disability: mental problems, blindness, deafness and deaf-muteness, speech impairment and mobility impairment, and includes discussions of famous instances of disability from the ancient world, such as the madness of Emperor Caligula, the stuttering of Emperor Claudius and the blindness of Homer 1. Introduction: Disability History and the Ancient World. Past, Present and Future / Christian Laes -- 2. Disability and Infirmitas in the Ancient World: Demographic and Biological facts in the longue durée / April Pudsey -- PART I. THE ANCIENT (NEAR) EAST -- 3. Disabilities from Head to Toe in Hittite Civilisation / Richard Beal -- 4. Mesopotamia and Israel / Edgar Kellenberger -- 5. Ancient Persia and Silent Disability / Omar Coloru -- 6. Egyptian Medicine and Disabilities: from Pharaonic to Graeco-Roman Egypt / Rosalie David -- 7. India: Demystifying Disability in Antiquity / M. Miles -- 8. Disability in Ancient China / Olivia Milburn -- PART II. THE GREEK WORLD -- 9. The Greek vocabulary of disabilities / Evelyn Samama -- 10. Ability and Disability in Classical Athenian Oratory / Martha Lynn Rose -- 11. Disabilities in Comedy and Tragedy / Robert Garland -- 12. Legal (and Customary?) Approaches to the Disabled in Ancient Greece / Matthew Dillon -- 13. The Hellenistic Turn in Bodily Representations: Venting Anxiety in Terracotta Figurines / Alexandre Mitchell -- 14. Plutarch's 'Philosophy' of Disability: Human after All / Michiel Meeusen -- PART III. THE ROMAN WORLD -- 15. Roman Perfect bodies. The Stoic View / Bert Gevaert -- 16. Foul and Fair Bodies, Minds, and Poetry in Roman Satire / Sarah Bond and T.H.M. Gellar-Goad -- 17. The 'Other' Romans: Deformed Bodies in the Visual Arts of Rome / Lisa Trentin -- 18. Mobility Impairment in the Sanctuaries of Early Roman Italy / Emma-Jayne Graham -- 19. Mental Disability? Galen on Mental Health / Chiara Thumiger -- 20. Madness and Mad Patients According to Caelius Aurelianus / Danielle Gourevitch -- 21. Disability in the Roman Digest / Peter Toohey -- PART IV. THE LATE ANCIENT WORLD -- 22. Hysterical Women? Gender and Disability in Early Christian Narrative – Anna Rebecca Solevåg -- 23. Augustine's Sermons and Disabilities / Martin Claes and Anthony Dupont -- 24. Infirmitas in Monastic Rules / Jenni Kuuliala -- 25. The Coptic and Ethiopic Tradition on Disabilities / Carol Downer -- 26. The Disability Within: Sexual Desire as Disability in Syriac Christianity / John Martens -- 27. The Disabled in the Byzantine Empire / Stephanos Efthymiadis -- 28. What Difference did Islam Make? Disease and Disability in Early Medieval North Africa / Matthew Gaumer -- 29. Impotent Husbands, Eunuchs and Flawed Women in Early Islamic Law / Hocine Benkheira -- 30. Disability in Rabbinic Judaism / Lennart Lehmhaus and Julia Watts Belser -- PART V. THE ENDURANCE OF TRADITION -- 31. Then and now. Canonical law on disabilities / Irina Metzler -- 32. The Imperfect body in Nazi Germany: Ancient Concepts, Modern Technologies / Toon Van Houdt Almost Fifteen Percent Of The World's Population Today Experiences Some Form Of Mental Or Physical Disability And Society Tries To Accommodate Their Needs. But What Was The Situation In The Roman World? Was There A Concept Of Disability? How Were The Disabled Treated? How Did They Manage In Their Daily Lives? What Answers Did Medical Doctors, Philosophers And Patristic Writers Give For Their Problems? This Book, The First Monograph On The Subject In English, Explores The Medical And Material Contexts For Disability In The Ancient World, And Discusses The Chances Of Survival For Those Who Were Born With A Handicap. It Covers The Various Sorts Of Disability: Mental Problems, Blindness, Deafness And Deaf-muteness, Speech Impairment And Mobility Impairment, And Includes Discussions Of Famous Instances Of Disability From The Ancient World, Such As The Madness Of Emperor Caligula, The Stuttering Of Emperor Claudius And The Blindness Of Homer-- Christian Laes, University Of Antwerp. Translation Of: Beperkt : Gehandicapten In Het Romeinse Rijk. Davidsfonds Uitgeverij, Leuven, 2014. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Almost fifteen percent of the world's population today experiences some form of mental or physical disability and society tries to accommodate their needs. But what was the situation in the Roman world? Was there a concept of disability? How were the disabled treated? How did they manage in their daily lives? What answers did medical doctors, philosophers and patristic writers give for their problems? This book, the first monograph on the subject in English, explores the medical and material contexts for disability in the ancient world, and discusses the chances of survival for those who were born with a handicap. It covers the various sorts of disability: mental problems, blindness, deafness and deaf-muteness, speech impairment and mobility impairment, and includes discussions of famous instances of disability from the ancient world, such as the madness of Emperor Caligula, the stuttering of Emperor Claudius and the blindness of Homer"-- Provided by publisher