Qualities in humoral theory and gender: from the origins to Claudius Ptolemy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/mhnh.23.2025.20792Keywords:
humoral theory, gender, astrology, Claudius Ptolemy, planetsAbstract
The difference between male and female in Ptolemaic astrology is based on the humoral theory, which at the beginning, with Anaxagoras, is associated with cosmogony, and therefore is used to biologically explain the difference between man and woman. The four humors are connected to the four qualities, which are found in different parts in all organisms, but whose presence is fundamental for the health of a man. The ancients agree in defining heat as a positive and life-giving quality, and cold as deadly. Ptolemy defines the feminine as generally humid, but does not clearly separate the qualities between the two genders.
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