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Rochester Bestiary
The Rochester BestiaryLondon, British Library, Royal MS 12 F.xiii is a richly illuminated manuscript copy of a medieval bestiary, a book describing the appearance and habits of a large number of familiar and exotic animals, both real and legendary. The animals' characteristics are frequently allegorised, with the addition of a Christian moral. The bestiary tradition The medieval bestiary ultimately derives from the Greek-language ''Physiologus'', a text whose precise date and place of origin is disputed, but which was most likely written in North Africa sometime in the second or third century.McCulloch 1960, p. 18 The ''Physiologus'' was translated into Latin several times, at least as far back as the eighth century, the date of the first extant manuscripts, and likely much earlier, perhaps the fourth century.McCulloch 1960, pp. 21–22 While the earliest Latin translations were extremely faithful to their Greek source, later versions adapted more freely, particularly by the in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephants - British Library Royal 12 F Xiii F11v (detail)
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. The order was formerly much more diverse during the Pleistocene, but most species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. Elephants ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manticore - British Library Royal 12 F Xiii F24v (detail)
The manticore or mantichore (Latin: ''mantichōra''; reconstructed Old Persian: ; Modern fa, مردخوار ) is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in western European medieval art as well. It has the head of a human, the body of a lion and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion. There are some accounts that the spines can be shot like arrows, thus making the manticore a lethal predator. Name The term "manticore" descends via Latin ''mantichora'' from Ancient Greek （martikhórās)Cf. This in turn is a transliteration of an Old Persian compound word consisting of ''martīya'' 'man' and ''xuar-'' stem, 'to eat' (Mod. fa, ; ''mard'' + ; ''khurden''). The ultimate source of manticore was Ctesias, Greek physician of the Persian court during the Achaemenid dynasty, and is based on the testamants of his Persian-speaking informants who had travelled to India. Ctesi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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