Showcase B: Circumcision, Folk Medicine and Tradition

Book facsimile: From “Cérémonies et coutumes

religieuses de tous les peuples du monde,” Bernard
Picard, Amsterdam, 1723.

Illustrations of circumcision

tools. William Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv
Circumcision was not unique to the ancient
Israelites and Jews. First evidence of the practice

comes from northwest Syria, where three statues
of warriors dating to c. 2800 BC reveal complete
removal of the prepuce. Circumcision was practiced in ancient Egypt, as seen in this >4500 year-old basrelief from the Ankh-ma-Hor tomb in Saqqara.

The hieroglyphics illustrate the dialogue:
“Hold it, quickly, don’t let it fall.”
He answers,
“I’ll do as you want.”
On the right, the patient says:
“Rub it well, to make it efficacious,”
and the operator answers:
“I’ll make it painless, pleasant.”