Votive intestine

Made:
200-200 in unknown place
Votive intestine, terracotta, probably Roman, 200BC to 200AD

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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Votive intestine, terracotta, probably Roman, 200BC to 200AD
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Votive intestine, terracotta, probably Roman, 200BC to 200AD

Offerings shaped like body parts have long been left in sanctuaries and temples to request or thank the gods for healing the represented organ or area. Made of terracotta (fired clay), votive organs like this one were mass-produced from moulds and sold in the proximity of Ancient Roman sites of worship where they were either hung, displayed, or buried in sacred pits as part of a ritual. This example is thought to represent an intestine or part of an intestine. It is possible to speculate that the person who left it had a digestive ailment, such as abdominal pain.

Details

Category:
Classical & Medieval Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A635751
Materials:
terracotta
Measurements:
overall: 110 mm x 93 mm x 39 mm,
type:
votive viscera