Chapter 2 - Facial Prostheses

Summary

This chapter surveys the evidence for facial prostheses (eyes, noses, teeth) in classical antiquity. It discusses the different ways in which a facial feature might be lost (surgical intervention, military activity, judicial and extra-judicial punishment, self-mutilation or deliberate mutilation), and how individuals dealt with their resulting impairments and disabilities, as missing facial features were difficult, if not impossible, to disguise. It concludes that the evidence for prosthetic eyes and noses is relatively sparse, but that for prosthetic teeth is much more plentiful, both in ancient literature and in the archaeological record.