ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter explores epigraphic evidence attesting what ancient Greek women knew about the use of magic for controlling fertility. 1 Compared with the literary texts, epigraphy displays a wider array of social interactions in which women were leading protagonists. While undoubtedly there are challenges involved in working with such sources, inscriptions, when available, are crucial for better understanding the active female contribution to family health care. Yet scholars interested in ancient women and medicine have not fully explored Greek inscriptions, particularly those on curse tablets and amulets. Although inscriptions such as the oracular tablets from Dodona, the healing miracle stories from Epidauros, and the dedications from the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia at Athens have been considered together with the Hippocratic treatises (Flemming 2013, 581-8), curse tablets and amulets remain confi ned to the desks of historians of religions. Yet these two genres of documents can contribute signifi cantly to the scholarly search for evidence of women’s knowledge of reproduction as expressed in healing rituals.
