Plutarch insinuated that Julius Caesar had seizures caused by epilepsy. At the time, would this have been recognized as a medical diagnosis, or some kind of religious/spiritual gift or curse, or something else? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Plutarch insinuated that Julius Caesar had seizures caused by epilepsy. At the time, would this have been recognized as a medical diagnosis, or some kind of religious/spiritual gift or curse, or something else?

by Obligatory-Reference

As someone with epilepsy, it's interesting to read about how it has been perceived throughout history. I know there's a trope about seizures being seen as some kind of divine interference - what would the ancient Greeks or Romans thought of this?

Sinnouk

These should be of interest:

A [comprehensive post on Caesar's epilepsy] (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/hk1qxd/julius_caesar_is_said_to_have_suffered_from/) by u/UndercoverClassicist.
While older discussions, u/XenophonTheAthenian has gone into more detail what epilepsy being a "sacred disease" [entails] (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3wtd5c/julius_caesars_epilepsy/cxzixsh/) then.