Book contents
- Drugs in the Medieval Mediterranean
- Drugs in the Medieval Mediterranean
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- Medieval Mediterranean Pharmacology
- Part I Transmission of Pharmacological Knowledge
- Part II The Borders of Pharmacology
- Chapter 7 Making Magic Happen
- Chapter 8 Remedies or Superstitions
- Chapter 9 When the Doctor Is Not Around
- Chapter 10 Digestive Syrups and After-Dinner Drinks
- Chapter 11 Late Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books
- Chapter 12 Making Connections between the Medical Properties of Stones and Philosophy in the Work of Albertus Magnus
- Chapter 13 Healing Gifts
- Index
- References
Chapter 13 - Healing Gifts
The Role of Diplomatic Gift Exchange in the Movement of Materia Medica between the Byzantine and Islamicate Worlds
from Part II - The Borders of Pharmacology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023
- Drugs in the Medieval Mediterranean
- Drugs in the Medieval Mediterranean
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- Medieval Mediterranean Pharmacology
- Part I Transmission of Pharmacological Knowledge
- Part II The Borders of Pharmacology
- Chapter 7 Making Magic Happen
- Chapter 8 Remedies or Superstitions
- Chapter 9 When the Doctor Is Not Around
- Chapter 10 Digestive Syrups and After-Dinner Drinks
- Chapter 11 Late Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books
- Chapter 12 Making Connections between the Medical Properties of Stones and Philosophy in the Work of Albertus Magnus
- Chapter 13 Healing Gifts
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter examines the medieval Greek and Arabic sources for the movement of medical substances between the Byzantine and Islamic worlds in the period from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. Although commerce was the most common means employed in the movement of materia medica, and the part played by tribute taking and looting was not negligible, the role of diplomatic gift exchange cannot be ignored. A relatively wide range of drugs were exchanged, ranging from theriac and a stone against dropsy to spices and perfumes. Moreover, this chapter examines the peculiar role of drugs as gifts in diplomatic communication compared to more typical diplomatic gifts such as expensive textiles and luxurious objects. Not suited to acting as objects of display, materia medica seemed to convey a personal message of care, creating mutual ties between the sender and the recipient.
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- Drugs in the Medieval MediterraneanTransmission and Circulation of Pharmacological Knowledge, pp. 388 - 415Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023