Thousands flock to Cycladic Museum's "Hygeia" exhibition

More than 50,000 people have visited the exhibition at the Museum Cycladic "Hygeia: Health, Sickness and Treatment from Homer to Galen," that kicked off at the Museum of Cycladic Art on November 19. The display, set to run until May 31, has already met with a great deal of interest.

The exhibition features roughly 300 ancient artifacts from 41 museums in Greece and abroad, including the British Museum in London, the Louvre and the Capitol Museum in Rome, that explore ancient ideas and practices relating to health, sickness and treatment and the shift from "divine" cures to scientific medicine.

On display are medical artifacts from 1200 B.C. to the 3rd century A.D. exploring how athletes dealt with injuries, ideas about diet and caring for the body as well as the use of opium and medicinal herbs.