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SUMMARY:International Symposium “Ancient Strategies of Medical Authority” 3rd March 2026, Eastern Hall, Academy of Athens
UID:https://hub.uoa.gr/en/international-symposium-ancient-strategies-of-medical-authority-3rd-march-2026-eastern-hall-academy-of-athens/
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DESCRIPTION:This conference explores how ancient physicians constructed, negotiated,
and projected authority within their intellectual and social worlds. By
examining a wide range of medical and philosophical texts, it investigates
the strategies through which practitioners positioned themselves as
reliable experts, from claims of specialized knowledge and technical skill
to appeals to tradition, innovation, or divine sanction. Contributions will
address how authors shaped their public personas—whether as healers,
teachers, or theorists—and how these self-presentations served to
legitimize their methods, bolster credibility, or distinguish them from
rivals. Particular attention will be given to rhetorical techniques,
narrative framing, and the use of polemic as instruments of authority
formation. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the conference aims to
shed new light on the dynamics of expertise in antiquity, revealing the
diverse pathways by which medical and philosophical practitioners fashioned
authoritative voices and secured their standing within competitive
intellectual landscapes.
Organised by Athena Bazou, Petros Bouras-Vallianatos, and Sophia
Xenophontos Sponsored by the Research Centre for Greek and Latin
Literature, Academy of Athens, the Department of Philology and the
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, NKUA
10.00-10.20: Greetings - Academy of Athens, National and Kapodistrian
University of Athens
Chair: Athanasios Stefanis, Research Centre for Greek and Latin Literature, Academy of Athens
10.20-11.00: ‘60 ans de recherche sur la médecine et la tragédie
grecques.’ Presentation of
‘Médecine et tragédie en Grèce antique. Scripta minora 1961-2023’, Les Belles Lettres, 2024.
Jacques Jouanna, Université Paris-Sorbonne and Académie des Inscriptions
et
Belles-Lettres. Membre Associé étranger de l’Académie d’Athènes.
 
Part I
Chair: Jean Christianidis, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
 
11:00-11:30: ‘Medical Ethics and Authority in the Hippocratic Letters’
Antonio Ricciardetto, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
11:30-12:00: ‘Galen’s Medical Ethics : Hippocrates as an Authority’
Véronique Boudon-Millot, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
12:00-12:30: ‘Strategies of Medical Authority in Aretaeus’
Sophia Xenophontos, Academy of Athens
12:30-13:00: Coffee/Tea
 
Part II
Chair: Grammatiki Karla, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
 
13:00-13:30: ‘Soranus’s Authorial Stance’
Giulia Ecca, Università degli Studi “La Sapienza” di Roma
 
13:30-14:00: ‘Galenic Medical Authority in the Context
of the Second Sophistic’
Athena Bazou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
 
14:00-14:30: ‘Alexander of Tralles’s Clinical Ethics’
Petros Bouras-Vallianatos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
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