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The Plague of Athens and the Cult of Asclepius: a Case Study of Collective Behavior and a Social Movement

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The Plague of Athens and the Cult of Asclepius: a Case Study of Collective Behavior and a Social Movement Sociology and Anthropology 4(12): 1048-1053, 2016 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.041203 The Plague of Athens and the Cult of Asclepius: A Case Study of Collective Behavior and a Social Movement Harry Perlstadt Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States Copyright©2016 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract During the Peloponnesian War between in the port city of Piraeus. This marks the beginning of a new Athens and Sparta, several waves of a plague killed an belief system that dealt with the failure to combat the plague. estimated one-third of the civilian Athenian population and Asclepius whose name means “to cut open,” was cut from one-fourth of its army. Thucydides account of the plague his dead mother’s womb by his father Apollo. He was (430-426 BCE) and the subsequent rise of the cult of raised by the centaur Chiron who taught him the healing arts. Asclepius can be examined as perhaps the earliest case study His sons included Machaon and Podalirius, who served as of collective behavior and a social movement. In his account surgeons and physicians during the Trojan War and among of the plague, Thucydides reveals a sociological imagination his daughters were Hygieia (health and sanitation) and and concepts including anomie and escalating stages of Panacea (cure all). The cult of Asclepius was established collective behavior. Social movements often arise in times of towards end of the 6th century at Epidaurus, located in the sudden changes and social unrest, becoming a source of Peloponnesus across the Saronic Gulf from Athens. spiritual and political empowerment. The cult of Asclepius Over a short period of time Asclepius emergence from a rose to prominence after the plague as a redemptive and local healing demigod to a Pan-Hellenic deity can be traced reformative social movement. In the wake of the plague, the through coins minted in the last half of the fifth century BCE. cult established new religious norms of healing and He first appeared on coins minted in Larissa in Thessaly supported the growth of Hippocratic medicine throughout south of Mount Olympus between 450 and 400 BCE), Tricca the ancient Mediterranean world. in Thessaly, the home of his mother and sons between 400 and 344 BCE and Epidaurus between 400 and 350 BCE. He Keywords Plague, Athens, Asclepius, Physicians, later appears on coins throughout the Greco-Roman world Collective Behavior, Social Movements [2]. 2t . Ma erials and Methods 1. Introduction This is a case study and natural history of the societal response to the plague of Athens. It draws upon the primary The Athenian plague (430-426 BCE) can be examined as observations and analysis of Thucydides account of the perhaps the earliest case study of what Miller [1] identifies as Peloponnesian war and Longrigg’s “Epidemic, ideas and aspects and phases of collective behavior and reactions to an classical Athenian society” [3]. It utilizes the sociology of unusual event. Thucydides reported escalating stages of collective behavior and social movements as well as collective behavior: rumors, panic, general despair, not modern historical analyses of the plague of Athens and the observing rituals and finally general lawlessness (anomia). cult of Asclepius. It then presents a set of historical stages in Following the plague and the peace of Nicias between the development of a social movement that spread the Athens and Sparta in 421 BCE, the Athenians responded by teachings of Hippocrates across the Mediterranean world. rebuilding their city and their culture. The temple of Athena Nike (goddess of victory) on the Acropolis was completed in 420 BCE, Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex was first produced 3 . Theoretical Perspectives at the Greater Dionysia in 425 BCE, and the cult of Asclepius arrived in Athens in 420 or 419 BCE. In his honor, Athens Miller’s [1] discussion of theories of collective behavior inaugurated a festival, providing prizes for the games, and and social movements can shed light on the relationship built two major sanctuaries for healing and worship between the plague of Athens and the rise of the cult of (Asclepieia), one on the south slope of the Acropolis and one Asclepius. Thucydides mentioned atrocity rumors which Sociology and Anthropology 4(12): 1048-1053, 2016 1049 attributed inhuman acts to an enemy, widespread anxiety radical change and a new order. and depression, hostile crowds, intense personal terror, Aberle [11] (see Table 1) identified four types of social mobilized evacuation and panicked fleeing to a safer movements: alternative; redemptive; reformative; and location, overcrowding, acts of altruism in the face of revolutionary based on whether they seek limited or radical disaster, and the strains on a society’s culture, values and changes and whether they focus on modifying individual beliefs. behavior or transforming society as a whole. Alterative Collective behavior consists of actions not governed by social movements seek limited social change and tend to be everyday rules and expectations. While some theories focus focused on a specific group of people. For example, on large crowds and riots [4-5], Smelser [6] presents a set of Planned Parenthood is directed toward people of stages beginning with structural conduciveness and strain childbearing age to encourage birth control. Redemptive that spread generalized beliefs (rumors) that may generate social movements also focus on a specific group of people panics, hostile outbursts and, in some cases, norm and value but advocate for a radical change in the individual and, by oriented movements. Under certain conditions institutional extension, society. This is characteristic of some evangelical means are used to ameliorate the situation and modify religious sects, especially those that recruit members to social statuses, norms and values. Durkheim [7, p.248, abandon old lifestyles and be ‘reborn.’ 252-253, 258] found that rapid and sudden changes in social, economic and personal relations can lead to normlessness Table 1. Abele’s four types of social movements and anomic suicide. Limited change Radical change But anomie can also exist on a population level. Modify Individual or Alternative Redemptive Thucydides [8, §53]; [9, p.100-101] was the first to use the Group Behavior Transform Society as a term anomia (άνομία), translated as lawlessness, in his Reformative Revolutionary description of the breakdown of moral and civil behaviors Whole in Athens during the plague [10]. In the midst of the plague Reformative social movements advocate for limited and after the second Peloponnesian invasion, [8,§59], [9, social change but seek to affect that change across an entire p.107] Pericles, the famous statesman and orator fell from society. The change may be progressive towards new social favor and in a bizarre twist was deposed, tried, fined and relationships or institutions, or it may be retrogressive reinstated as strategos (army leader). At one point facing a attempting to restore the status quo ante. For example, the hostile and dejected crowd, he analyzed the situation, conservationist side of the environmental movement reinforced a normative structure, and raised morale: encourages communities to develop programs for recycling “Happenings, which are sudden, unforeseen and paper and plastics. The preservationist side advocates for contrary to all reasonable expectations, enslave the saving or restoring wilderness and natural areas by ending spirit. This has happened to you for various reasons or limiting access and use by tourists and business interests. and particularly because of the plague. Nevertheless, Finally revolutionary social movements promote radical as people living in a great city, brought up in a change across an entire society that will impact all of correspondingly great way of life, you must be society. The Communist party and the Islamic terrorist prepared to stand up against the greatest disasters, movements want to radically change political and social and not obliterate your reputation… You must put institutions. away your private sorrows and work for the safety of Although some religious movements are redemptive and the community.” [8, §61]; [9, p.111]. aimed at individuals, they may also become reformative when, in Smelser’s terms, they attempt to restore, protect, According to Turner and Killian [5, p.259] social modify or create values in the name of a generalized belief movements are semi-rational responses to abnormal [6, p.313]. Religious movements and secular political conditions. They seek to change individuals, social movements can become intertwined; witness the role of organizations, institutions, and/or societies. They bring African American churches and reverends in the U.S. civil innovative and unconventional elements to civil society. rights movement. This can lead to both spiritual and They bring innovative and unconventional elements to civil political empowerment. The combination of religious and society. Social movements will form when people sense political movements may also engender civil religion, a that something is not quite right in the way their society collection of sacred and patriotic beliefs, symbols and operates. They often begin after an event which upsets the rituals that strengthens and solidifies a community’s everyday lives of many individuals and requires a collective political identity and sense of nationhood [10], [12]. response. The social movement then attempts to deal with the structural weaknesses in society that often have a negative psychological affect on individuals and social 4. The Plague as Collective Behavior groups. Social movements gain strength when the regular administrative/ political processes are unable to address the The Athenian plague and the rise of the cult of Asclepius perceived social problem or crises. They may seek to restore can be examined as a case study in collective behavior and things to the way they were before the crisis or call for social movements.
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