Analogy and Metaphor in Ancient Medicine and the Ancient Egyptian Conceptualisation of Heat in the Body*

What is it about?

This chapter develops a conceptual framework for approaching special, technical uses of language found in ancient medical texts. As an alternative to the unwieldy intuitive distinction between so-called 'literal' and 'figurative' language, medical use of terminology derived from other domains of experience is better approached as a question of intersection between axes of lexical centrality and ontological commitment. The advantages of this framework are then exemplified by an analysis of the role of heat in ancient Egyptian healing texts, demonstrating how a more nuanced understanding of ancient conceptions can be achieved by paying attention to uses of language derived from different experiential domains.

Featured Image