Temkin (1932); Idem, “Studies on Late Alexandrian Medicine. I. Alexandrian Commentaries on
Galen’s De Sectis Ad Introducendos,” BHM 3 (1935) 405–430 = The Double Face of Janus and Other
Essays in the History of Medicine (1977) 178–197; N. Fernandez Marcos, Los Thaumata de Sofronio.
Contribución al estudio de la incubatio cristiana (1975); V. Nutton, “From Galen to Alexander, Aspects of
Medicine and Medical Practice in Late Antiquity,” B. Baldwin, “Beyond the House Call: Doctors in
Early Byzantine History and Politics,” and J. Duffy, “Byzantine Medicine in the Sixth and Seventh
Centuries: Aspects of Teaching and Practice,” in Scarborough (1985a) 1–14, 15–19, and 21–27;
Wolska-Conus (1989); I. Mazzini and N. Palmieri, “L’école médicale de Ravenne. Programmes et
méthodes d’enseignement, langue, hommes,” in Mudry and Pigeaud (1991) 285–317; BNP 5 (2004)
824 – 825, V. Nutton.
Alain Touwaide
Gildas of Britain (540 – 550 CE)
Gildas “Sapiens” (504– 569 CE) composed a narrative history of Britain from the Roman
occupation to his own day. De excidio et conquestu Britanniae, written ca 547 CE (Higham prefers
479 – 485 CE), is a vitriolic denunciation of contemporary rulers and clergy whom Gildas
blamed for the island’s troubles after the Roman withdrawal (§1). In the tradition of Classical
historians, Gildas included a brief geographical description of the island (§3) quoted from
P O (Historiae 1.2.76–7) who followed P (Geography 2.1–2). Several
errors are apparent, including the width (200 Roman miles) and the number of cities
(Gildas’ 28 British cities, reproduced by Nennius, reflect a scribal error for Ptolemy’s
38 cities south of Hadrian’s wall). Gildas’ description of topography (wide plains: campis late
pansis) and geology (white stones: niueas ueluti glareas pellentibus) is consistent with the southern
lowlands.
Ed.: M. Winterbottom, with English trans., The ruin of Britain, and other works: Gildas (1978).
N.J. Higham, English Conquest (1994).
GLIM
Glaukias of Taras (195 – 155 BCE)
Empiricist physician, contemporary of A A (C pr.10),
author of a lost work Tripod (Trípous: G Subf. Emp. 11), in which he improved the
elaboration of the three main principles of the school (already developed by S
A): experience (empeiria), reports of others (historia) and analogical reasoning (tou
homoíou metábasis: “transition to the similar”). In the field of Hippokratic exegesis, he wrote a
Hippokratic lexicon in alphabetical order (E p. 8.5 Nachm.) containing the
relevant passages of H (a few lemmata remain, attested by Ero ̄tianos), and
commentaries on single works: we know about those on Epidemics 2 and 6 (Gale ̄n, Hipp. epid.:
CMG 5.10.1 p. 230 and 5.10.2.2 p. 3); doubtful on De humoribus ( pseudo-Gale ̄n, Hipp. hum.
16.1 K.) and on De alimento ( pseudo-Gale ̄n, Hipp. alim. 15.409 K.). He had a tendency to
modify Hippokrate ̄s’ text in order to support his own interpretation. Other fragments
(attested by P, Gale ̄n, Athe ̄naios, O) are concerned with pharmaceutical,
therapeutic (Gale ̄n Fasc. 18A.790 K.: a technique of bandaging), and dietetic matters.
Ed.: Deichgräber (1930) 168–170 (fragments), 257–258.
RE 7.2 (1912) 1399 (#8), H. Gossen; KP 2.809, F. Kudlien; P. Manuli, “Lo Stile del Commento: Galeno
e la Tradizione Ippocratica,” in La scienza ellenistica, edd. G. Giannantoni and M. Vegetti (1985)
375 – 394 at 391; BNP 5 (2004) 867 (#3), V. Nutton; Ihm (2002) #105–109.
Fabio Stok
GILDAS OF BRITAIN