Readers of this website will have noticed the launch of a new section titled “Historical-Political.” Identifying the Manuscript as a herbal did not hint at this dimension.
For those who enjoy historical narratives, the texts translated in this new section offer an interesting historical account. Some events can be cross-referenced with facts known and documented in other sources, thereby confirming their veracity. Others cannot be corroborated in the same way—yet this, far from diminishing their importance, actually enhances it, given their value as historical testimony. It is worth noting that the author and the date of composition have been successfully identified (It has not been announced yet). (see Colophon, fol. 116v).
These historical-political accounts, the texts appearing in the Pisces Zodiac section, and other as-yet-unpublished material reveal a far broader scope than a first glance at the book might suggest: history, politics, culture, astrology, botany... A compendium of the knowledge and way of life of a specific historical moment in a particular place.