Terracotta tongue and tonsils, Roman, 400 BCE-200 CE
Objects like these were left at healing sanctuaries and other religious sites as offerings to gods such as Asklepios, the Greco-Roman god of medicine. They were intended either as an indication of the part of the body that needed help or as thanks for a cure. Made from bronze or terracotta, as in this case, a large range of different votive body parts were made and offered up in their thousands. Although it originated in earlier cultures, this practice became very popular in Roman Italy – particularly between the 400s and 100s BCE.
Object number:
A634928
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: tonsils
trial term
Glossary: incubation
No description.
Glossary: votive offering
Objects or monuments donated by an individual for a public place or shrine. The object is usually given in gratitude for deliverance from distress.