Guest post by Ágnes Mihálykó There are some problems in human life that are timeless. One of them is sleep deprivation caused by a teething baby. I have had my fair share of it recently, and on one sleepless night when just nothing seemed to work, desperate I remembered a fourth-century Coptic recipe to aidContinue reading “A Coptic Remedy Against Sleepless Nights for New Parents”
Tag Archives: medicine
Warm Hoopoe’s Blood for the Eyes: A Coptic Remedy
Jennifer Cromwell Ever suffered from dry eyes? A late Coptic medical text may have the cure for you! Written on a small piece of parchment, probably in the 11th century CE, the remedy requires just two ingredients: the warm blood of a hoopoe and cardamom. “For eyes starting to cry salt: heated hoopoe’s blood andContinue reading “Warm Hoopoe’s Blood for the Eyes: A Coptic Remedy”
His Mind is Shrouded in Darkness
Jennifer Cromwell Perhaps one of the best-known aspects of the Egyptian mummification process is that the brain was removed from the body and discarded. The brain’s function and importance were not understood. Instead, the heart was not only recognised as a beating organ that pumped blood, for the ancient Egyptian it was also the sourceContinue reading “His Mind is Shrouded in Darkness”
Sickness, Treatments, and Medical Books in Late Antique Egyptian Villages
Jennifer Cromwell “I greet my Father Athanasios. I spoke to you about the medical book. I often wanted to come south, but looking after here has not allowed me to come south. I wanted to come south, (but) the roads prevented me. Now, please send it to me, either (by) Pmoute or give it toContinue reading “Sickness, Treatments, and Medical Books in Late Antique Egyptian Villages”
Papyrus Stories 