Historical story

Doctors in Ancient Rome

Roman woman. In ancient Rome, in addition to male doctors, there were also good doctors

Tombs and funerary steles are a precious mine of information about the customs and traditions of ancient peoples and the Roman ones are no exception.

Would you have ever thought that in Ancient Rome, in addition to male doctors, there were also expert doctors ?

The funerary stele of a certain Scanzia Redenta proves it without a shadow of a doubt. and the tombstone of Sarmanna, lived in the 4th century.

The first shows the following: "Master expert in the art of medicine despite her young age. She was loved by her husband, who benefited from her life fruitful and full of virtues ”; the second reads:" Here lies the doctor Sarmanna, who lived for about 70 years".

Although with notable differences between one epoch and another (during the Empire, compared to previous periods, the influence of women in society increased considerably), these were certainly not very frequent cases, but which nevertheless show that a Sometimes, Roman women also held important roles outside the domestic sphere.