Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos, fragments from six leaves from a decorated manuscript, in Latin on parchment [Germany, twelfth century] Two complete bifolia and two single leaves with vertical borders trimmed away, each with text in single column of 31 lines of a tiny and precise early gothic bookhand, remains of one simple red initial, another in green with red foliate penwork, and a very large initial in red penwork touched with green wash, terminating in an acanthus leaf frond (opening book VII), pricking for lines visible at vertical edges of larger leaves, cuts and splits in places, some darkening and translucency from reuse on binding, areas covered in black paint (that once on outside of binding that these fragments survived on), these areas scored with three parallel lines in multiple places, overall fair condition, the largest leaves each approximately 230 by 160mm. Orosius (perhaps Paulus Orosius, c. 375-after 418) was one of the most important historians of the period which saw the collapse of the late Roman Empire and the dawning of the Middle Ages. He was a student of Augustine of Hippo, and may have collaborated with that author on the City of God. Orosius lived in Hispania until the barbarian invasions of c. 410 forced him to flee to Hippo, from where he travelled to Palestine to liaise on Augustine’s behalf with Jerome. On his return to Hippo, he began this work, his magnum opus, completing it c. 417. The work sets out to prove that the world had improved greatly since the recent Roman conversion to Christianity, and was designed to complement Augustine’s City of God. As such it is a catalogue of the calamities which befell the Romans as their empire collapsed under successive wars and barbarian invasions. Its main argument is that events had been much worse before Christianity was formally adopted. It was one of the fundamental texts of the last centuries of the Ancient World and the entire Middle Ages. Some 200 manuscripts have been recorded, and translations exist in Anglo-Saxon, Italian, Aragonese Spanish and even into Arabic in the tenth century.The leaves here contain parts of book V, 20-22, VI, 2-6 and 15-22, and the opening of book VII, which detail the Second and Third Punic Wars, as well as the campaign against the Celtic Iberian tribe of the Lusitani, the destruction of Corinth, the battles of Thapsus and of Munda in 46 and 45 BC. during Julius Caesar’s war with Pompey and the Roman Republic. The last words of book VI here note the emergence of Christ, before book VII opens a discussion of Christianity and paganism.
Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos, fragments from six leaves from a decorated manuscript, in Latin on parchment [Germany, twelfth century] Two complete bifolia and two single leaves with vertical borders trimmed away, each with text in single column of 31 lines of a tiny and precise early gothic bookhand, remains of one simple red initial, another in green with red foliate penwork, and a very large initial in red penwork touched with green wash, terminating in an acanthus leaf frond (opening book VII), pricking for lines visible at vertical edges of larger leaves, cuts and splits in places, some darkening and translucency from reuse on binding, areas covered in black paint (that once on outside of binding that these fragments survived on), these areas scored with three parallel lines in multiple places, overall fair condition, the largest leaves each approximately 230 by 160mm. Orosius (perhaps Paulus Orosius, c. 375-after 418) was one of the most important historians of the period which saw the collapse of the late Roman Empire and the dawning of the Middle Ages. He was a student of Augustine of Hippo, and may have collaborated with that author on the City of God. Orosius lived in Hispania until the barbarian invasions of c. 410 forced him to flee to Hippo, from where he travelled to Palestine to liaise on Augustine’s behalf with Jerome. On his return to Hippo, he began this work, his magnum opus, completing it c. 417. The work sets out to prove that the world had improved greatly since the recent Roman conversion to Christianity, and was designed to complement Augustine’s City of God. As such it is a catalogue of the calamities which befell the Romans as their empire collapsed under successive wars and barbarian invasions. Its main argument is that events had been much worse before Christianity was formally adopted. It was one of the fundamental texts of the last centuries of the Ancient World and the entire Middle Ages. Some 200 manuscripts have been recorded, and translations exist in Anglo-Saxon, Italian, Aragonese Spanish and even into Arabic in the tenth century.The leaves here contain parts of book V, 20-22, VI, 2-6 and 15-22, and the opening of book VII, which detail the Second and Third Punic Wars, as well as the campaign against the Celtic Iberian tribe of the Lusitani, the destruction of Corinth, the battles of Thapsus and of Munda in 46 and 45 BC. during Julius Caesar’s war with Pompey and the Roman Republic. The last words of book VI here note the emergence of Christ, before book VII opens a discussion of Christianity and paganism.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
