“...in Sickness and in Health” Pollux of Naucratis and Papyri

Abstract

Abstract This article is based on the study of two arguably different sources concerning the words which describe sickness and health: (1) the clusters of these words as they were compiled by Pollux of Naucratis at the end of the second century A.D., and (2) the various phrases or terms attested in the everyday language of the Greek papyri coming from Egypt, dated to the entire Greco-Roman period (III B.C.-VIII A.D.). The study of this converging, so to speak, of the two sources produces interesting results concerning the use of words used broadly in all aspects of one’s life, as recorded in various contexts. These range from the simplest and brief texts, such as memoranda, to classical literature, dated to various periods and attributed to various levels of literacy.