A FUSION OF CULTURES AND THE RISE OF
GYNAECOLOGY IN THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
CHEYENNE JANKOLA

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the stylization and content of the statuette of
a childbirth scene, and the impact of Hellenistic medicine on the statuette.
However, there has been no research published before about this statuette. This
paper focuses on Cypriot culture from the Chalcolithic period until the Hellenistic
period, and the increasing popularity of using portraiture to connect oneself to
power in Ptolemaic culture. Also, this paper will examine the rise of gynaecology
and recognition of midwifery in the Hellenistic period due to the change of political
structures, because it is likely that it caused the statuette to be portrayed
realistically. This paper aims to explore how the impact of the fusion between the
Cypriot and Ptolemaic cultures resulted in an individualized childbirth scene, as
well as how the rise of gynaecology and midwifery affected the realism of the
statuette.

Ancient Cyprus is known to have had a distinct culture and artistic style separate
from the Greek or Near Eastern cultures, even throughout the rule of the
Achaemenids until 333 BCE. 1 An aspect of ancient Cypriot culture from the
Chalcolithic to the Archaic period was its votive statuettes to one or many
goddesses, which displayed themes of fertility. 2 However, Alexander the Great’s
defeat of the Persians in 333 BCE began the increase of influence of Greek culture
in Cyprus. 3 After the diadochi, the Ptolemies ruled Cyprus from 312 BCE until the
Romans acquired it in 58 BCE. 4 Material culture in Cyprus was impacted as a result
of the change in the social and political structures. 5 Additionally, Ptolemaic Egypt
1

Papantoniou, "Cypriot Autonomous Polities," 169.
Swiny, “Prehistoric Cyprus: A Current Perspective,” 185.
3
Papantoniou, 170.
4
Papantoniou, 170.
5
Papantoniou, 190.
2

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influenced the Hellenistic world through its research in medicine, specifically its
increased interest in women, gynaecology and childbirth. 6 Thus, in Ptolemaic
Cyprus there was a change in art as a result of the political changes and the rise of
Hellenistic medicine.
A limestone statuette of a childbirth scene is currently in the Metropolitan Museum
of Modern Art (Figure 1). 7 The subject of the statuette is a pregnant woman after
she has given birth, reclining on a small bed. At both ends of the woman are aids,
perhaps midwives, who have helped her give birth. The pregnant woman’s labour
is likely recent because of her swollen belly and exposed breasts. The aid standing
on the right side of the woman is still supporting her and the aid on the left side is
kneeling between the pregnant woman’s legs. The left side aid may be a midwife
because she is holding an object in her arms, which is likely the newborn baby. The
statuette’s depiction of a childbirth scene with the aids is realistic because it
illustrates the vigour and recentness of labour.
The statuette was found by Luigi Palma di Cesnola in 1870 at the Sanctuary of
Golgoi-Ayios Photios, in the region of Athienou in Cyprus. 8 The Metropolitan
Museum of Art purchased the collection from Cesnola in 1874-1876, 9 and the
museum dated the statuette to have been made between 310-30 BCE. The Sanctuary
of Golgoi-Ayios Photios was a sanctuary for Apollo during the Hellenistic period;
however, there were votive statues found that were dedicated to female
goddesses. 10 The statuette was likely made as a votive offering in thanks for a
successful birth because of the placement of the scene immediately after the birth,
in which the mother and child are both shown. The statuette may have also been a
votive offering because it was found at a sanctuary, with multiple other votive
offerings on the site. These other votives were of males, females, children, and
notably kourotrophoi, which depict seated women holding children, suggesting that
there was a custom to dedicate votives pertaining to fertility and rites of passage at
the sanctuary. 11
To determine the reason for which the statuette is presented, we have to consider
two cultural contexts: Hellenistic Ptolemaic culture and traditional Cypriot culture.
Archaeologists have found several votive figurines in Cyprus from the Chalcolithic
period which depict women in labour, 12 as well as figurines that depict women with
swollen bellies, who may have been pregnant. 13 Additionally, archaeologists have
6

Grant, From Alexander to Cleopatra,155.
“Limestone Statuette of a Childbirth Scene,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, sculpture.
8
Hermary and Mertens, The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art, 14.
9
Hermary and Mertens, 13.
10
Hermery and Mertens, 18.
11
Hermery and Mertens, 176.
12
Swiny, 185.
13
Bolger, “Figurines, Fertility, and the Emergence,” 368.
7

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found throughout Cyprus inscriptions to a “Great Mother” from the bronze age until
the Classical period. 14 The figurines and the inscriptions about a female goddess,
depicting themes of fertility and motherhood, suggests ancient Cypriot people
prominently worshipped fertility goddesses from the Chalcolithic period until the
Classical period. Then, due to exposure to Archaic and Classical Greek culture in
the 6th century BCE, Cypriot culture began to be influenced by Greek culture. 15
During this period, there is evidence of the first epigraphic record of the Greek gods
on Cyprus, which implies that the worship of them began at this time. 16 This contact
with Greek religion caused the fertility goddesses of Cyprus to be syncretized with
Aphrodite. 17 Goddesses of fertility and sexuality were of immense importance to
traditional Cypriot culture, and this cultural tradition carried on into the Classical
period, despite Greek prominence.
When the Ptolemies ruled Cyprus, Hellenistic culture became dominant on the
island. Three new cities were established in Cyprus by the Ptolemies, and several
sanctuaries were discontinued due to political strife. 18 Also, because of the change
in political structure at Cyprus, why and how the Cypriot people made dedications
at the sanctuaries was affected. There was an increased importance in private
commissions of votive statues, likely because of the influence of the new kingdom’s
political structure, which used dedications of statues and monuments to
demonstrate personal power. 19 To do this, personalized features were depicted on
Ptolemaic votive figurines to directly connect the devotee to power. 20 These new
attitudes towards portraiture and material culture affected how people made
dedications and votaries; rather than the dedication symbolizing the worshipper, the
dedication was made to explicitly depict the worshipper through personalized
features. These Hellenistic votary figurines adhered to the Ptolemaic models of
portraiture, but still upheld Cypriot traditional style. 21Also, the interest in
individualized material culture reflects an increasing fixation with personal and
general experience in the Hellenistic world. 22 Therefore, material objects in
Ptolemaic culture were in fact personal, as well as realistic in their style in order to
convey individualized features.
This childbirth statuette looks the way it does due to the influence of two cultural
contexts, the traditional Cypriot and Ptolemaic cultures. The statuette’s content
matter was influenced by the traditional Cypriot culture because of its depiction of
14

Young, “The Cypriot Aphrodite Cult,” 23.
Papantoniou, “Cypriot,” 170.
16
Papantoniou, “Cypriot,” 170.
17
Papantoniou,“Cyprus from Basileis to Strategos,” 46.
18
Papantoniou, “Cyprus,” 43-46.
19
Smith and Plantzos, Companion to Greek Art, 123.
20
Papantoniou,”Cypriot," 190.
21
Papantoniou,“Cyprus,” 45.
22
Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece, 143.
15

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a childbirth scene. It has been established that fertility and labour were important
aspects of traditional Cypriot culture, so the decision to display an explicit
childbirth for a votary suggests a revival of Cypriot traditions, despite the change
in cultural and political structure. From the Ptolemaic culture, is its vividness, and
personal experience of the subject. Additionally, the statuette’s adherence to the
Ptolemaic style and Cypriot culture suggests that the devotee was adapting to
Ptolemaic rule within a Cypriot framework. 23 Thus, the statuette reflects the
influence of two cultures, and likely depicts a compromise between the two cultures
in the new political structure.
The statuette of a childbirth scene is Hellenistic not only because of its fusion of
two cultures, but also because it represents the increased importance of research in
the Hellenistic period. The statuette’s vivid depiction of a childbirth scene
corresponds with the specialization in women’s health and childbirth, as well as the
rising recognition of female medicinal figures during the Hellenistic period.
The practice of medicine during the Classical period was done primarily within
religious contexts, such as in healing cults, especially at the shrine of Asclepius in
Cos. 24 A famous Greek physician during the Classical period was Hippocrates of
Cos, who is known for his Hippocratic Corpus. The Hippocratic Corpus consists
of medical treatises that all vary in style and content, suggesting that they could
have been written by several authors between the fifth and first centuries BCE, and
were then compiled by the tenth century CE. 25 During the Classical period medical
understanding was more theoretical than scientific. 26 The Hippocratic doctrines
from this period that discuss women’s health are exemplary of this, due to the
amount of inaccuracy within them. For example, the theoretical disease of hysteria
proposes that the womb is an animal, and it often wanders around women’s
bodies. 27
In the Hippocratic doctrine, The Diseases of Women, the doctor never examines nor
has any personal experience with the female patient, and instead a female assistant
examines the patient or the patient examines herself. 28 A reason for the doctor’s
uninvolved approach may be that the Hippocratic doctrines claim that because
women did not suffer the same diseases as men, they must not be treated or cared
for like men. 29 Additionally, there is little written about childbirth within the
Hippocratic doctrines, which may be because men were not involved in the process
23

Papantoniou,“Cyprus,” 45.
Grant, 155.
25
Archer, Fischler and Wike, Women in Ancient Societies, 102.
26
Dillon and James, Companion to Women in the Ancient World, 124.
27
Dillon and James, 113.
28
Dillon and James, 109.
29
Dillon and James, 106.
24

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of labour. 30 Thus, how the Hippocratic Corpus viewed and dealt with women
suggests that during the Classical period there was a lack of interest in discovering
how the female body worked in an accurate and involved approach.
In the Hellenistic period there was a shift in scholars’ approach to medicine due to
the accessibility of new sources and evidence, because of the political changes of
the kingdom state. The kings of the early Hellenistic period invested more money
into research and knowledge, especially in Ptolemaic Alexandria, which contained
the Library and Museum of Alexandria. 31 The Ptolemies invested in research and
information to enhance the prestige of their kingdom, and aimed to rival other
Hellenistic kingdoms, as well as Athens. 32 In order to compete with other
kingdoms, they supplied their researchers with criminals so they could perform
vivisection and dissection to further their information on anatomy. 33 The Ptolemies
also acquired the Hippocratic library of Cos, and had it moved to Alexandria,
presumably to enhance their library’s fame. 34 This contrasts from the Classical
period because city states did not invest in research, which Plato notably
complained about. 35 However, although the Hippocratic doctrines were still being
written during this period, this paper focuses on the rise of physicians in the
Hellenistic period who practiced outside of the Hippocratic tradition. Ptolemaic
Alexandria had many noteworthy physicians, such as Erasistratus of Ceos and
Herophilus of Chalcedon, both of whom were prominent in the third century
BCE. 36 Due to the rise in opportunities offered to physicians at Alexandria, there
were advances in their study of medicine and anatomy because they could base
their knowledge on observation rather than theory. It is probable that their research
had impacted Hellenistic culture, which includes Ptolemaic Cyprus. There are
inscriptions that convey that there were cults to Asclepius and Hygieia at Cyprus,
which may have disseminated medical information. 37 Thus, it is likely that the rise
in medical knowledge at Alexandria had influenced Cyprus, especially because it
had established medical cults.
The change in medical approach in the Hellenistic period also caused an increased
curiosity in women’s health and medicine, which contrasts from the Classical
period. An explanation for this increase is the general interest in human anatomy,
which was more accurate and involved. The main text from this period that dealt
with women’s health was Herophilus’ treatise on midwifery, in which he attempted

30

Rhodes, A Short History of Clinical Midwifery, 3.
Grant, 151.
32
Longrigg, “Anatomy in Alexandria,” 455.
33
Longrigg, 457.
34
Rhodes, 6.
35
Grant, 151.
36
Longrigg, 455.
37
Papantoniou,“Cyprus,” 48.
31

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to debunk former theories about the uterus, but this has since been lost. 38 Yet, are
there only fragments of this treatise from other authors, predominantly Soranus of
Ephesus. Although Soranus lived the in second century CE during the Roman
period, he studied medicine in Alexandria and wrote about and referenced
Hellenistic scholars. 39 Soranus is often referred as the first gynaecologist in known
history because of his accuracy and engaged approach towards women’s health. 40
Soranus wrote a treatise, Gynecology, and frequently referenced Herophilus, such
as when he confirmed Herophilus’ conclusion that ovaries are similar to testes. 41 In
his treatise, he disagrees with the notion that the womb is an animal and that it
wanders within the female body, which greatly differs from previous male
assumptions about the female body. 42 Additionally, he often criticized other
scholars for their ideas about female anatomy. There is also evidence within his
treatise that suggests that he performed vaginal examinations and that he was
involved in assisting with childbirth. 43 This implies that physicians were more
involved in women’s health rather than only theorizing about it, which is significant
because women were beginning to be treated for their health more accurately.
Additionally, because Hellenistic physicians began to treat women, this may have
affected how Hellenistic society perceived women’s health, and thus likely affected
the realism of the statuette.
There was a rise in legendary and historical professional medicinal women in the
fourth century BCE, which suggests that there was a rise in recognition of women
in medicinal roles compared to the Classical period. It is likely that there were
midwives and medicine women prior to this period, but there are no surviving
records about them. 44 A known legendary figure from the Hellenistic period was
Agnodice of Athens, who studied under Herophilus, and she is often described as
the first female physician. 45 Historically, Aspasia of Athens from the fourth century
BCE wrote treatises on gynaecology and possibly provided better care for her
patients than Soranus. 46 Additionally, Flavius Aetius from the fourth century CE
quoted her more than Soranus when he discussed gynaecology, which suggests that
she may have had more authority on the subject than him. 47 The rise in legendary
and historical female medicinal figures suggests that female physicians and
midwives had more recognition in the Hellenistic period compared to the Classical
period. Thus, the increased recognition of women in medicinal roles may have
38

Most, “Callimachus and Herophilus,” 193.
Rhodes, 6.
40
Rhodes, 6.
41
Soranus, Gynecology, I.12.
42
Soranus, I.6-11.
43
Rhodes, 6.
44
Dillon and James, 122.
45
Grant, 201.
46
Dillon and James, 123.
47
Dillon and James, 123.
39

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influenced the statuette’s depiction of the two aids in the childbirth scene, who
likely were midwives or physicians.
The limestone statuette of a childbirth scene was made and dedicated in Cyprus
during a period of drastic political change, that resulted in the altering of dynamics
in society, material culture and medicine. It also affected the social conduct
between the Cypriot and Ptolemaic cultures, which influenced material objects and
often made them a mixture of both cultures. Additionally, the change in political
structure impacted research in medicine, and also caused physicians to value
involved research. This led to male physicians acknowledging women in medicinal
professions because of their skill and experience pertaining to gynaecology. This
suggests that the development in medicine and acknowledgement of midwifery
caused the statuette to be portrayed more realistically. Thus, this statuette is
important for understanding the shifting dynamics of the Hellenistic period because
of its influence from midwifery and women’s health, as well as the fusion of
cultures.

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FIGURES

Figure 1: “Limestone statuette of a childbirth scene.” 310 B.C.E-30 B.C.E
H. 16.5 cm; W. 25.1 cm.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Accession no. 74.51.2698
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/242249

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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YOUNG, PHILIP H. "The Cypriot Aphrodite Cult: Paphos, Rantidi, and Saint
Barnabas,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 64, no. 1 (2005): 23-44.

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