Reblogged from mediumaevum
Twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript of the Hippocratic oath was written out in the form of a cross, relating it visually to Christian ideas
The Lampascus Spoons
Byzantine, 6th century AD
The British Museum
“‘O handsome youth, do not believe too much in beauty’, reads the Latin inscription on the front side of the bowl and handle of one of these spoons. A further inscription, on the back of the handle, this time in Greek, boldly adds ‘You cannot be beautiful without money!’
These six spoons were part of a large silver treasure discovered in Turkey. They were part of an original set of tableware consisting of a place setting of twelve. Six spoons are now in The British Museum as a result of gifts and purchases in the nineteenth century.
Each spoon bears a verse and comment in Greek and/or Latin. The Greek texts were drawn from an anthology of epigrams known as the ‘Sayings of the Seven Sages’; these were complimented with Latin texts from Virgil. As on this spoon, the serious verses were often matched by a witty rejoinder. Other pairs of inscriptions include: ‘Love conquers all, and we yield to love’ and ‘Eat, you who are lovesick!’; “Imagine the end of life”, said Solon in sacred Athens’ and ‘How one should live life!’
The spoons are a characteristic type of spoon from Late Antiquity, with pear-shaped bowls attached by means of a disc to a tapering handle. The rims of the bowls are beautifully engraved with a wave pattern, inlaid inniello. Foliate patterns on the discs and backs of the bowls, together with the inscriptions, were also emphasized with niello. Both the superb craftsmanship and the clever inscriptions of these spoons typify the cultural sophistication of the Eastern Mediterranean in this period.”
The Fenton Vase
Maya, 600-800 AD
“Polychrome ceramic vessels were a symbol of status and power for the Maya. They were used by the élite and are found as offerings in rich burials. A large number of beautiful polychrome vases, bowls and dishes from the Late Classic period have been recovered from the Maya area, at sites such as Tikal, Holmul and Seibal in the lowlands, and Nebaj in the highlands.
The vessels provide an important source of information about Maya society in the Classic period, with text and image illustrating historical and mythological events. The scenes depict scribes, merchants, rulers and other members of society.
This beautiful example was found at Nebaj, a Maya site in the highlands of Guatemala. The most common themes on Nebaj style polychrome vessels are tribute and warfare. The scene here represents the delivery of tribute to a seated lord. Above the basket presented to him are a series of six hieroglyphs which indicate his name and titles, while the otherglyph panels correspond to those of the four figures in the scene. Their jewellery, clothing and spangled turbans adorned with flowers suggest that they are members of the élite.”
“The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian law code, dating back to about 1772 BC. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The sixth Babylonian king,Hammurabi, enacted the code, and partial copies exist on a human-sized stone stele and various clay tablets. The Code consists of 282 laws, with scaled punishments, adjusting “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (lex talionis) as graded depending on social status, of slave versus free man.”
The Phaistos Disc, back and front views
Description from: http://www.ancientscripts.com/phaistos.html
The Phaistos Disc is an enigma, an circular clay disc covered with inscribed symbols on both sides that are unlike any signs in any writing system. It was discovered in the ancient city of Phaistos in Southern Crete in 1908. It is thought to date to around 1700 BC (from associated archaelogical context), roughly contemporary with .
This object has been subject of many studies. Steven Fischer has claimed to have deciphered it and that it was a document in an archaic form of Greek. Because no other similar artifacts have ever been found anywhere in the Crete, it is thought that the object was foreign and brought in from another place. The place of its origin is extremely speculative, although subtle clues may exist in the highly pictorial signs on the disc. A sign depicts a helmet with crest, which was used later by Philistines. Another sign depict a structure similar to sarcophagus used by the Lycians of Asia Minor.
Because there is essentially no variation between different copies of the same symbol, it is very likely that stamps where used to create these highly detailed signs. While not really a printed work, some has labeled the Phaistos Disc the earliest typewritten work.
(via centuriespast)
Yaxchilán Lentil
Maya, 600-900 AD
The British Museum
“This limestone lintel is one of a series of three panels from Structure 23 at Yaxchilán and was originally set above the central doorway.
The building is dedicated to Shield Jaguar II’s wife, Lady K’ab’al Xook. It has particular significance since this was the first building to be constructed after a gap of over 150 years in the dynastic history of the city. It seems that the series of lintels was intended to convey a special message of the re-foundation of the site. Indeed, Shield Jaguar’s building programme throughout the city may have been an attempt to reinforce his lineage and his right to rulership.
Lady Xook, on the bottom right of the panel, is in the hallucinatory stage of the bloodletting ritual. She conjures before her a vision of a Teotihuacan serpent. Some scholars suggest that the serpent on this lintel, and elsewhere, are depictions of an ancestral spirit or founder of the kingdom. The identity of the figure coming out of the serpent’s jaws is ambiguous. The inscription names the protagonist as Shield Jaguar II.
The ritual is conducted to commemorate the accession of Shield Jaguar II to the throne. The inscription is reversed, as if to be read in a mirror. This is not common and its true significance is not known.”
Horseman’s Shield (Targe)
Austrian, early 15th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
“The notch at the upper left served to support the lance of a charging knight. The coat of arms is thought to belong to either the von Meissau or the Eglauer family, both of Austria. On the banderoles is the defiant motto IO HARR ? LAS UBER GAN (possibly, “Just wait. You’ll be beaten”). Part of the motto, IO HARR, is repeated around the border. The shield comes from Reifenstein castle, in the Austrian Tirol. The castle was owned by the religious, military order known as the Teutonic Knights.”
The Da Ming Hun Yi Tu (Great Ming Dynasty Amalagamated Map), China, 1389
Painted on silk in AD 1389 but with Manchu language captions superimposed on paper slips several centuries later, is the oldest surviving Chinese world map.
(via fyeahlilbitoeverything)
