Page 227 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Healing Sites, Drugs and Cures
in the Roman and Byzantine Periods

Through treatises, the writings of sages, and archeological findings in the city, it is possible
to learn about the drugs and cures used for healing at the time of the Second Temple (Roman)
and the Byzantine period. The Temple functioned as a center for the populace to gather and
pray for good health and fertility, accordingly improved water works and advanced sanitary
facilities were built for public health. The sages ruled “that a scholar should not reside in a
city where the following ten things are not found: [...] public baths; a toilet; a physician; a
bloodletter [surgeon], a scribe...” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 17b). Two healing sites
that were connected to cisterns were available for public use in the Jerusalem area: the Pool
of Bethesda and the Pool of Siloam. Historical references and archeological findings attest
that during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, pagan rituals took place at these sites.
During the Byzantine period, they continued to function as sacred Christian healing sites.

‫ הקצה דמוי‬.‫ המבחן דמוי המשוט היה כלי רוקחות שכיח‬,‫ מרית רפואי‬- ‫ַמ ְב ֵחן‬
‫ המרית‬.‫ מוצקה למחצה או נוזלית‬,‫ לבחישת התרופה‬,‫הזית שימש לערבוב‬
,‫שימשה למריחת התרופה על המקום הפגוע או על פד‬
‫ התקופות הרומית והביזנטית‬,‫ירושלים‬
‫ ירושלים‬,‫| מוזיאון המכון הפרנציסקני לחקר המקרא‬
Medical Oar-Shaped Spatula Probe, frequently used by pharmacists.
The tip with the olive was used for blending and stirring the
compound to a semi-firm or liquid consistency. The spatula was used
to spread the medicament on the injured area or on a bandage.
Jerusalem, Roman and Byzantine Periods |
Museum of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Jerusalem

225 ■ ‫ תרופות ורפואות בתקופות הרומית והביזנטית‬,‫אתרי מרפא‬