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About this Item

Title

  • Cosmography.

Summary

  • Created in England in the late-12th century, this manuscript was intended to be a scientific textbook for monks. The manuscript is brief, at nine folios, and was designed as a compendium of cosmographical knowledge drawn from early Christian writers, such as Bede and Isidore, as well as the later Abbo of Fleury. Those writers, in turn, drew on classical sources, such as Pliny the Elder, for their knowledge but adapted it to be understood through the filter of Christianity. The 20 complex diagrams accompany and help to illustrate the texts in the pamphlet; they include visualizations of the heavens and earth, seasons, winds, tides, and the zodiac, as well as demonstrations of how these things relate to man. Most of the diagrams are rotae (wheel-shaped schemata), favored throughout the Middle Ages for the presentation of scientific and cosmological ideas because they organized complex information in a clear, orderly fashion, making this material easier to apprehend, learn, and remember. Moreover, the circle, considered the most perfect shape and a symbol of God, was seen as conveying the cyclical nature of time and the Creation as well as the logic, order, and harmony of the created universe. England is especially notable for the production of illustrated scientific textbooks, with the earliest examples produced during the Carolingian period under the influence of the noted Benedictine scholar Abbo of Fleury, who taught at Ramsey Abbey for two years. Although the grouping of texts and diagrams here is unique, the manuscript is related to other scientific compilations from this era, such as British Library, Royal Ms. 13 A.XI and Cotton Ms. Tiberius E.IV, and Oxford, Saint John's College, Ms. 17.

Names

  • Abbo, of Fleury, Saint, approximately 945-1004 Author.
  • Bede, the Venerable, Saint, 673-735 Author.
  • Isidore, of Seville, Saint, died 636 Author.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1190.

Headings

  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • -  1190
  • -  Astronomy, Medieval
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Science, Medieval
  • -  Textbooks
  • -  Zodiac

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Walters Ms.W.73"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 9 folios : parchment ; 15.5 x 26.7 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Walters Art Museum.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Illuminated Manuscripts from Europe

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667954

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Abbo, Of Fleury, Saint, Approximately 945-1004 Author, The Venerable Bede, and Of Seville Isidore. Cosmography. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1190] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667954/.

APA citation style:

Abbo, O. F., Bede, T. V. & Isidore, O. S. (1190) Cosmography. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667954/.

MLA citation style:

Abbo, Of Fleury, Saint, Approximately 945-1004 Author, The Venerable Bede, and Of Seville Isidore. Cosmography. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1190] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667954/>.