Caroline Petit

Caroline Petit is a specialist in classical literature, with a particular interest in ancient medical texts, notably Galen and the Galenic corpus. She trained in classical philology and French literature in Paris, where she obtained her doctorate in 2004. Since 2000, she has taught classical literature, ancient history, and the history of medicine at several universities, including Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), Exeter, and Manchester, where she received research fellowships from the Wellcome Trust. She joined the University of Warwick in 2012.

Title: Reading Galen in Byzantium: The Treatise Ad Antonium de pulsibus

This project focuses on the reading of Galen through the mediation of late antique sources in Byzantium. It aims to produce the first critical edition of a Greek treatise on the pulse, Ad Antonium de pulsibus, including an English translation and commentary. Although the text is attributed to Galen in the Kühn edition, Greek manuscripts dating from the 10th to the 16th century point to a different origin: most attribute the work to John of Alexandria, a late antique commentator and author of numerous philosophical and scientific works. Unlike the printed edition, these manuscripts also mention and praise Galen and Hippocrates, reflecting a late reception of traditional medical knowledge. Reconstructing the transmission history of this pseudo-Galenic treatise constitutes a key case study within a broader project led by Caroline Petit on the reception of Galenic knowledge in the Byzantine world, with a particular focus on prognosis. This work is also relevant to Byzantine studies, codicology, and the history of medicine.

Hosting institution: SAPRAT, École pratique des hautes études

Selective Bibliography

• SCELERATI. Antiques, sadiques et diaboliques, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2023. Précédé d’un entretien avec Daniel Mendelsohn. (272 pp.)
• Galien de Pergame ou la rhétorique de la Providence. Médecine, littérature et pouvoir à Rome, Mnemosyne Supplements 420, Leiden, Brill, 2018 (xvii +292 pp.)
• Galien. Oeuvres, Tome III : Le médecin. Introduction, Collection des Universités de France, Les Belles Lettres, Paris, 2009 (488 pp.)