

Bottle for medicinal water, with contents, from the well at the temple of Aesculapius at the Acropolis, Athens, collected in 1930
The typed label pasted to the side of the bottle on the left gives us its source – the well at the temple of Asklepios at the Acropolis in Athens. Asklepios was the Greco-Roman god of healing and medicine. At the temple, those experiencing illness were cured in their dreams by the god as they slept, or had their dreams interpreted to get a treatment that would cure them. This is known as incubation.
The bottle was collected by Captain P Johnston-Saint, one of Henry Wellcome’s collecting agents. The water is shown here with a similar example collected from the temple of Asklepios at Epidaurus (A79498).
On display
Science Museum: Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries
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Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Object Number:
- A79497
- Materials:
- bottle, glass, aqua, stopper, cork and stopper, wax
- type:
- medicinal water and bottles, folk medicine (general), pharmacy (glassware) bottles, folk medicine (general), medicinal water and pharmacy (glassware)
- taxonomy:
-
- furnishing and equipment
- container - receptacle
- vessel
- credit:
- Loan, Wellcome Trust
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