A propósito de los orígenes de la educación en la disciplina médica bizantinala figura del iatrosofista en el siglo IV

Abstract

This article analyzes the figure of the 4th-century medical teacher known as iatrosophist (ἰατροσοφιστής). Those professionals became part of the late-antique and Byzantine culture at least until the 7th century. Medicine played a role of the utmost importance within the framework of παιδεία, i.e. the Greco-Roman higher education system; it was a specialized discipline particularly valuable in ancient society since primitive times. In this context, the iatrosophists are studied through the biographies of doctors written by Eunapio de Sardes (c.400). As a result, four basic traits are offered that characterize the 4th-century iatrosophist, namely his institutional recognition, his popular recognition, his high erudition, and his political influence.