MEDICINE MEN

Magic and medicine went hand-in-hand in ancient Egypt, as science and magic were essentially seen as the same thing. Doctors and magical practitioners were distinct, with specific areas of expertise, but both groups used magic.

Doctors worked from the temples, in special places where medical texts were created and studied. They’d use spells alongside practical approaches to treating disease. Illness was often regarded as punishment from the gods, so it seemed entirely logical to use rituals and spells to honour the gods and ask for their mercy – in conjunction with the herbal medicines of the day.