From Root-Cutting to Natural History in The Vienna Dioscorides

The Vienna Dioscorides (Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, med. gr. 1) is today the oldest known, relatively complete copy of an illustrated herbal. The current form of the Vienna Dioscorides is mainly the result of modifications in its early history. This article describes the stages of the manuscript’s creation and examines how this creation reflects its users’ conceptions of the volume. In its earliest form, the codex consisted solely of an illustrated herbal, which was then adapted to be a gift for the Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana in the early sixth century. Shortly thereafter, a later user, possibly Anicia Juliana herself, added several texts to the back of the volume, as well as an additional folio depicting a peacock at the beginning of the codex. This addition marks the expansion of the codex into a more comprehensive volume on natural history.

Duke Scholars

Author Andrew Griebeler Art, Art History & Visual Studies