Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought: Presocratic and Hippocratic Approaches PDF
Preview Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought: Presocratic and Hippocratic Approaches
Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought This book examines how sleep and dreams were approached in early Greek thought, highlighting the theories of the Presocratic and Hippocratic writ- ers on both phenomena as more varied, complex, and substantial than is usually credited. It explores how the Presocratic natural philosophers and early Hippo- cratic medical writers developed theories which drew from wider investiga- tions into physiology and psychology, the natural world and the self, while also engaging with wider literary depictions and established cultural beliefs. Although the focus is predominantly on Presocratic and Hippocratic ideas, this is not exclusive: attention is devoted from the outset to sleep and dreams in Homer and the mythic tradition, as well as to depictions across lyric, drama, and historiography. Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought provides a fascinating study of this topic which will be of interest to students and scholars of ancient medicine and the history of science, Greek philosophy, and classical culture more broadly. It is accessible to students with or without knowledge of the classical languages, and also to anyone with a general interest in the beliefs of the classical world. Stephanie Holton is a Lecturer in Classics at Newcastle University UK, where she teaches a variety of Ancient Greek, Latin, and Classical S tudies modules across all levels. She also works on widening access to Classics across the North East and beyond as an academic lead for the charity Classics for All. Medicine and the Body in Antiquity Series editor: Patricia Baker, University of Kent, UK Advisory board: Lesley A. Dean-Jones, University of Texas at Austin, USA Rebecca Gowland, University of Durham, UK Jessica Hughes, Open University, UK Ralph Rosen, University of Pennsylvania, USA Kelli Rudolph, University of Kent, UK Medicine and the Body in Antiquity is a series which aims to foster interdis- ciplinary research that broadens our understanding of past beliefs about the body and its care. The intention of the series is to use evidence drawn from diverse sources (textual, archaeological, epigraphic) in an interpreta- tive manner to gain insights into the medical practices and beliefs of the ancient Mediterranean. The series approaches medical history from a broad thematic perspective that allows for collaboration between specialists from a wide range of disciplines outside ancient history and archaeology such as art history, religious studies, medicine, the natural sciences and music. The series will also aim to bring research on ancient medicine to the attention of scholars concerned with later periods. Ultimately this series provides a forum for scholars from a wide range of disciplines to explore ideas about the body and medicine beyond the confnes of current scholarship. Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought Presocratic and Hippocratic Approaches Stephanie Holton For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge. com/classicalstudies/series/MBA Medicine and the Body in Antiquity \\mpkpzfs01\Bks_HUMSOC\Editorial\Shared Resources\Series Pages\ Classical Studies\Medicine and the Body in Antiquity\Medicine and the Body in Antiquity.docx Sleep and Dreams in Early Greek Thought Presocratic and Hippocratic Approaches Stephanie Holton First published 2022 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Stephanie Holton The right of Stephanie Holton to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-20916-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-22948-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-26416-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9780429264160 Typeset in Times New Roman by codeMantra For John and Hector Contents Acknowledgements ix List of abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 Sleep and Dreams in Context 15 2 Sleep, Dreams, and Heraclitus 57 3 Sleep, Dreams, and the Body 74 4 Sleep, Dreams, and the Soul 112 5 Interpretation of Dreams 149 6 Conclusion 195 Bibliography 209 Index 223 Acknowledgements My interest in ancient approaches to sleep and dreams began as my doctoral research project at Royal Holloway, University of London. I would like to thank the Classics department there for kindly funding my research, and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies for supplying a grant which en- abled me to spend time at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. I am particularly indebted to my examiners Professor Elizabeth Craik and Professor A ndrew Gregory for their rigorous engagement with the thesis, as well as their com- prehensive recommendations and support. I would also like to express my thanks to the reviewers engaged by Routledge – Dr Chiara Thumiger, Dr Maithe Hulskamp, and one anonymous reviewer – for their encouraging feedback and suggestions. Any and all errors are entirely my own. While working on this book, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to design and run an undergraduate module on Ancient Dreams and a text seminar on the Hippocratic On the Sacred Disease at Newcastle University. My sincerest thanks go to all of the students from these classes for their en- thusiasm and engagement, both in the classroom and over Zoom. This book is all the better for their insightful discussions and challenging questions. Finally, I would like to thank my husband John, for his unwavering support and ceaseless encouragement throughout a PhD, a pregnancy, parenthood, and utter chaos of early career academic life. This book is ded- icated to him and our little Hector, with the greatest love and affection.
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