Paper short abstract:

The paper is focused on the Graeco-Roman astro-medical technique called melothesia. The aim is to explain its main features and to show how this technique had been influenced by Middle Eastern conceptions about humans, astral bodies, and divinities.

Paper long abstract:

Melothesia is the name of a branch of Graeco-Roman astrology according to which every part of the human body is subjected to a celestial body which influences his health status. We find evidence of this system in quite a few literary works such as, to give some examples, Manilius' Astronomica and the hermetic writings. The paper, through an analysis of several documents, will give an overview of the different types of melothesia (zodiacal, decanic and planetary) investigating their features and especially focusing on their origin. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated that the antecedents of this discipline came from Egypt and Babylonia. The paper aims at showing in which ways the classic world incorporated foreign ideas in its religious thought and in its approach to astrology in shaping this healing technique. We will furthermore try to examine the relation between the astro-medicine and other ancient medical practices and its success in later historical ages.