cAduceus
Publié le 22/02/2012
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Greek The wingtopped staff with
two snakes winding around it, carried by Hermes
and, in Roman mythology, Mercury. Two snakes
intertwined is an ancient symbol, associated since
Babylonian times (third millennium b.c.) with fertility,
wisdom, and healing. Greek heralds and ambassadors
carried this staff as a symbol of peace and
neutrality.
In later times, the staff became the emblem of
Asclepius, god of healing. Today the caduceus is the
insignia of the medical profession in many countries,
including the United States and Great Britain.