Aulus Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina

Louise Cilliers (University of the Free State)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Domains

Method, Theory, History (medical)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 45

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Treatise

Resources

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(Aulus?) Cornelius Celsus (fl. early 1st century CE) was the author of an encyclopaedic work,

The Arts

(

Artes

), of which only the eight books on medicine (

De Medicina

) have been transmitted. The

Artes

also included five books on agriculture, seven on rhetoric, six on philosophy, and one on military strategy, of which we only have quotations or allusions in other authors’ works. In this compilation Celsus is following an established Roman model, begun by the collection of accumulated data by Cato (234-149 BCE) and later Varro (116-27 BCE) in their books on agriculture, and Vitruvius (late 1st century BCE) in his

De Architectura

. This genre proved to be popular among contemporary and succeeding generations of Roman aristocrats.

Aim and Audience of the De Medicina

Aim and Audience of the

De…

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1516 words

Citation: Cilliers, Louise. "De Medicina". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25864, accessed 04 May 2024.]

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