نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه باستان شناسی دانشگاه تربیت مدرس
2 دانشگاه تربیت مدرس
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Objective: The Sassanian period was an era of flourishing medical knowledge in ancient Iran, which, under the patronage of its kings, achieved a systematic and advanced structure. Medicine in this period, with the establishment of unique educational and therapeutic centers such as Gondishapur, realized significant accomplishments. This research seeks to re-examine the therapeutic and healthcare system of the Sassanian era from the perspective of medical anthropology, aiming to understand the cultural, social, and religious mechanisms of this system. Using a comparative-analytical method based on library research, it seeks to answer the following question: What was the structure of the Sassanian healthcare and therapeutic system with respect to the concepts of medical anthropology, and how did various cultural factors shape the experience of illness and the response to it?
Findings: The research findings indicate that the Sassanian medical system can be considered a salient example of a complex and multi-layered cultural system grounded in the specific Zoroastrian worldview of that culture. In this paradigm, illness was not merely a biological phenomenon but was generally perceived as the result of demonic forces and malevolent agencies. This cosmological conceptualization provided a conceptual map for the organization, legitimization, and hierarchization of the entire medical field, to the extent that this system can be described as being based on an externalizing and person-centered etiological model. However, in conjunction with internalizing empirical-anatomical mechanisms, it created a dynamic fusion of religious and scientific knowledge. The Sassanians were well aware of the role of natural factors in causing diseases, yet this empirical understanding did not negate belief in supernatural causes. Evidence such as talismanic vessels, amuletic seals, and magical texts demonstrates the active efforts of individuals to regain a sense of control and attribute meaning to suffering within the very framework of that worldview, albeit often on the margins of official institutions. The contradiction between the state's criminalization of magic and its widespread use by the populace testifies to the dynamism and polyvocality of this cultural system. This phenomenon is precisely what is referred to as the "fluidity of boundaries" between medicine, religion, and magic.
Conclusion: All these characteristics laid the groundwork for the formation of a model of medical "pluralism" in this period, giving rise to various medical schools with different functions and approaches for treating diverse illnesses. The specialized division of labor into branches such as mantra-medicine, knife-medicine (surgery), and herb-medicine (pharmacy) reflected the value priorities of this society, in which spiritual healing occupied the apex of the hierarchy. By possessing diverse specializations, professional-social hierarchies, and a bio-cultural approach to health, this system presented a complex model of interaction between "normative" medicine and "folk" medicine, although the boundaries between normative and folk medicine were flexible and, in practice, constituted two inseparable poles. By moving beyond descriptive historiography, this research, through the lens of medical anthropology, demonstrates that a deep understanding of the history of medicine necessitates moving past a mere description of achievements and institutions and delving into the layers of meaning, power relations, and lived experiences that give life and significance to a medical system.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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