Herb-Doctors and Physicians in the Ancient World

by E.A. Wallis Budge

s/t: The Divine Origin of the Craft of the Herbalist
Reprint of the London edition of 1928, published under the title The Divine Origin of the Craft of the Herbalist.

Genres: Nonfiction

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East.

Reviews

[Cevizin_kitaplari]

Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (1857–1934) was a British Egyptologist, Assyriologist, and scholar of oriental languages. During his time, he was one of the most prolific figures introducing ancient Near Eastern civilizations to the Western world. He translated both Assyro-Babylonian tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, making them accessible to researchers. Although some of his interpretations are debated today, his work in preserving and sharing ancient manuscripts remains incredibly valuable.


As for the content:
Budge explores how the use of plants for healing is intertwined with myths, gods, and ancient beliefs. Plants are not only medicines but also hold sacred meaning. We encounter stories where gods teach humans about healing herbs, or even create plants from their own divine essence. These traditions were preserved in temples and sacred rituals, emphasizing that medicine and religion were once inseparable.

The book takes us from Mesopotamia to Egypt, showing how different civilizations believed that healing came from the gods. Reading these sections, I found myself reflecting on humanity’s deep connection with nature — a bond that feels both ancient and enduring.

Budge’s language is dense but clear. He writes in an academic tone, yet manages to keep the myths vivid and alive. The herbal knowledge of the ancient world is explored through scientific, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, highlighting that healing concerns not only the body but also the soul.

Chapters include: Ancient Gods and Divine Medicines, The Divine Herbal Healers, Water, Divinely Created Herbs, Egyptian Herbal and Medical Texts, Sacred Oils, Healing Ointments, Sumerian and Assyrian Herbs, Greek-Latin-Syrian-Arabian Herbs, Coptic Plant Lists, and Ethiopian Medicinal Plants.

Even though it’s nonfiction and I thought I’d read it slowly alongside other books, it flowed effortlessly — full of fascinating details and written in a style that feels almost conversational.

[ryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

despite Budge's constant interjections of sneering disdain for the 'savage and superstitious' beliefs and practices of the oldest civilizations, there is much of interest in his tracing of a transmission of knowledge throughout northern Africa, the middle east, and the Mediterranean in antiquity.

i was particularly cheered to find the etymology of "alchemy" as coming from the Arabic particle al and Kemeia, "the land of black earth" -- an old name for Egypt -- hence, the art of the Egyptians. Budge draws connections in lineage and application from Egypt and Akkadia through Greek, Latin, Ethiopian, Assyrian, Arabic, and finally Coptic herbals, and while in this short volume none of these are covered in great depth, the broad strokes give a clear picture of the course of this art and science through that span of time.