A Compendium of Ancient Geography, Astronomy, and Medicine
Hic Codex Avienii is incunable published in Venice by Antonius de Strata of Cremona on October 25, 1488 (November 8, 1488 on Julian Calendar). This collection contains works by Avienus, including his adaptation of Aratus’s Phaenomena, alongside contributions from Germanicus Caesar, Cicero, and Serenus Sammonicus. This volume contains 122 unnumbered leaves, embellished with 38 woodcuts, some of which are reused from earlier works. The text, set in a chancery quarto format, features 38 lines per page. This volume is a part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Kislak Center for Special Collections, offering a window into Renaissance intellectual culture and early printing techniques.
Background
Historical Context
This book was published in Venice in 1488 during a period of territorial expansion and political restructuring for the Republic of Venice. By the late 15th century, Venice had established itself as a major maritime power with vast territories on both the Italian mainland and across the eastern Mediterranean as a whole. Venice was in the process of consolidating its control of the Terraferma under the rule of Doge Giovanni Mocenigo. This consolidation was necessitated by the need to secure trade routes and counteract the territorial ambitions of regional powers like Milan and the Ottoman Empire. [1]
During this time, Venice was experiencing great commercial success. Venice was known for its successful trade routes as well as its production of luxury goods, including textiles like silk and other high quality fabrics. [2] During this period, Venice emerged as a center of printing and intellectual activity. Intellectual life was flourishing throughout the city. Venice soon came to dominate not only the Italian printing industry, but the entire European printing Industry for a period. [3]
The flourishing of Venetian printing helped distribute Renaissance humanism throughout Europe and facilitated the exchange of knowledge. This reflects the city’s role in the cultural and intellectual status of the period.[3] These books were not only texts, but symbols of Venetian sophistication and the cosmopolitan nature of this complex society.
Incunables in the 15th Century
The 15th century was a transformative era for book production promoted by the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450. This invention introduced the era of incunables, which represents a pivotal moment in the transition from manuscript to printed book. [4] The innovations in printing technology helped mass produce books, which significantly reduced their cost and increased their accessibility.
Venice became an epicenter for printing due to its strategic location and vast trade networks, which enabled the efficient distribution of books throughout Europe. Books printed in Venice were also used as exemplars by other European printers, highlighting the influence and reach of books produced in the Republic of Venice. [5] The city attracted printers like Johannes de Spira and Nicolas Jenson, whose work in the 1460s helped establish the high standards for book design, especially those of Roman and Italic typefaces. While most illuminations would be ordered by the customers, Jenson’s firm ordered the illuminations himself before the book even reached the customer. [3]
The substantial funding from its wealth merchants and nobility, supported a thriving intellectual culture that contributed to the economic status of Venice in the 15th century. This environment was conducive to the success of printing and the dissemination of new ideas. By its very nature a reading public was not only more dispersed; it was also more atomistic and individualistic than a hearing one. [6] For this reason, incunables often contained texts that reflected a variety of Renaissance interests in classical antiquity, religious matters, scientific explorations, and humanistic studies that catered to an increasingly diverse audience beyond just scholars.
The Collections Within
This incunable is a collection of classical texts that includes a collection of works by Rufius Festus Avienus, as well as adaptations by Germanicus Caesar and Cicero of Aratus’s Phaenomena that gives an introduction to the consellations. It also contains the Liber medicinalis by Serenus Sammonicus.
Rufius Festus Avienus’s adaptation of the Greek poem ‘’Phaenomena’’ extends the original text with detailed descriptions of Stoic elements, including mythological explanations for constellations, like linkin the Kneeler with Heracles. [7]
Germanicus was a notable soldier and politician known for his Latin translation of Aratus’ ‘’Phaenomena’’. His work reflects Rome’s rising interest in astronomy and includes precise corrections based on Hipparchus’ critiques. This edition features detailed descriptions and annotations, most notably correcting the positing of the Kneeler constellation in relation to the Dragon. [8][9]
Ciceros’s early translation is noted for its similarity to the original, despite sometimes including some linguistic notes and decorative details. Cicero also utilized ancient commentaries on Aratus for clarification as seen in his descriptions and adjustments. [10][11]
Q. Serenus’ Liber medicinalis is a didactic poem focusing on therapy by offering remedies for around 80 diseases across 1,107 hexameters, organized into 64 chapter. The poem saw significant usage and influence, even being copied by Charlemagne, the former Holy Roman Emperor. It was even highly regarded by Humanists and throughout the modern period. [12]
Material Analysis
Substrate and Platform
This book has been produced on rag paper that is thin enough to contain 250 etchings. It appears as though the cursive text has been directly inscribed onto the paper while the etchings have been glued in. It is likely that the individual that compiled the album bought an initially empty album cover and proceeded to paste in the etchings and directly transcribe the captions on to the pages.
The bibliographic format of this codex is folio and its length of 21 inches allows for full-length portrayals of the people presented in the etchings. The codex is rectangular in shape and the etchings span the entire length of the page.
Binding
Marginalia
Text
Significance
Bibliography
Bibliography
- ↑ Finlay, Robert. Politics In Renaissance Venice. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1980.
- ↑ Molà, Luca, and Luca Molà. The Silk Industry of Renaissance Venice, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Richardson, Brian. Printing, Writers, and Readers In Renaissance Italy. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
- ↑ Febvre, Lucien, and Henri-Jean Martin. The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing, 1450-1800. London: Verso, 1990.
- ↑ Jensen, Kristian, Incunabula and Their Readers: Printing, Selling, and Using Books In the Fifteenth Century. London: British Library, 2003.
- ↑ Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. The Printing Revolution In Early Modern Europe. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
- ↑ Soubiran, Jean. 2003 (pr. éd. 1981). Aviénus, Les Phénomènes d’Aratos. Collection des Universités de France. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.
- ↑ Le Bœuffle, André. 2003 (pr. éd. 1975). Germanicus, Les phénomènes d’Aratos. Collection des Universités de France. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.
- ↑ Possanza, D. Mark. 2004. Translating the Heavens: Aratus, Germanicus, and the Poetics of Latin Translation. Lang Classical Studies. New York: Lang.
- ↑ Bishop, Caroline. 2016. “Naming the Roman stars: constellation etymologies in Cicero’s « Aratea » and « De natura deorum ».” Classical Quarterly N. S. 66 (1): 155-171.
- ↑ Bishop, Caroline. 2019. Cicero, Greek learning, and the making of a Roman classic. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 41-84.
- ↑ Langslow, D. R. Medical Latin In the Roman Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.