Otorhinolaryngological diseases in the Minoan era

Minoan civilization was one of the civilizations of the past and flourished in the island of Crete between the years 2600 B.C. and 1100 B.C. Archaeological excavations brought to the light buildings and items, showing that the Minoans had an extensive knowledge about hygiene and health matters. Among the items were idols, depicting anatomical parts of the human body and different pathological changes. These idols were offered by suffering people to gods and goddesses in order to beg for their help in curing them. In a study carried out on idols kept in the Heraklion Museum, a number of interesting anatomical details and pathological changes, concerning the head and neck area were recognized.