Golden Maidens and Wheeled Chairs: Assistive Technology in Ancient Greece

Disability is a universal feature of human existence and human beings are either disabled or temporarily nondisabled. The effects of some disabilities can be mitigated by means of assistive devices, from medical devices like hearing aids to more mundane items like Nike’s new line of hands-free sneakers. It’s easy to account for the relative prevalence of such devices in the context of capitalism and legislation like the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992. Assistive devices, however, are not exclusive to the modern period. In this talk, I catalogue the ways that disabled people in ancient Greece used assistive devices to navigate spaces and perform a variety of activities in their communities. Through this work, I argue that we can understand ancient disability outside of modern models of capitalism, charity, and medicalization and thereby recognize the myriad ways that disabled people have existed, continue to exist, and can exist in the world.

This talk is presented in conjunction with the Discipline of Archaeology in the School of Humanities as part of National Archaeology Week 2023.

Debby Sneed, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of classics at California State University, Long Beach. She is also the field director of the Agora Excavations in Athens, run by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Assistant Professor Sneed’s research focuses on physical disabilities in ancient Greece. She has written several articles on the topic, including an article awarded the Ben Cullen Prize by Antiquity magazine. This paper discussed ramps designed to help disabled patrons access ancient Greek healing sanctuaries. Assistant Professor Sneed holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.A. in classics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.A. in English and history from the University of Wyoming. Assistant Professor Sneed holds the 2023 CCANESA Apollo Visiting Fellowship at the University of Sydney

Header image: Hephaestus in a Winged Chariot (Tracing) © Luoyao Zhang is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license