The practice of body manipulation with therapeutic aims has been used in the Western world since
the origins of Hippocratic medicine. By retracing the therapeutic use of massage as a therapeutic, preventive
and educational practice, the authors attempt to highlight the concepts, techniques and methods of massage
and the manipulation of the body in order to offer a valuable and useful historical reconstruction concerning
ancient medicine. The study on the relationship between culture, diseases and medicine constitute a significant
part of the historical medical research carried out within the Research Project of National Interest PRIN
entitled ‘Disease, health and lifestyles in Rome: from the Empire to the early Middle Ages’ funded by the
Ministry of Education, MIUR University Research in 201
