Roman Oculist Stamp

3D Model

• Origin: The Netherlands
• Date: Roman Period
• Material: Stone
• Dimensions: 4.7 cm x 4.7 cm x 0.8 cm
• Capturing: Canon EOS 250D + EF 50mm
• Processing: Agisoft Metashape Professional Software
• Created by: Bertia Khanbabai and Hannariin Lamp

This Oculist Stamp was found in Maastricht, the Netherlands, near the Roman thermal baths in 1980 and is housed at Centre Céramique in Maastricht.

These stamps in general were used by doctors as instruments for eye disease treatment. Their use demonstrates the advanced level of medical knowledge and technology present in the Roman period.

This stamp in particular contains the name of the doctor and medicinal substance and the disease it treats. Each side mentions a different type of treatment for diseases as ‘fog/dim sight’ and ‘granulation/ blepharitis/ trachoma‘. The names of the oculists mentioned are Probinus and Victorinus.

Theme: Daily Life & Death

(Transcription and translation for description provided by Dr. Angelos Boufalis, 2023)