Ricerc@Sapienza

Aciduman et al. made a very attentive and authoritative evaluation of our letter, “The ventricular system in the Renaissance”. Avenzoar reported the Nemesius of Emesa’s three brain compartments and In the chapter on de mania, Avenzoar also follows the Nemesius of Emesa’s brain cells theory. The absence of anatomical brain reference in Avenzoar’s writings other than anterior or posterior, prevents a document-based statement. Avenzoar followed the Nemesius of Emesa’s traditional teachings, and the location of functions in the brain cannot be attributed to him.

Le edizioni dei classici latini costituiscono un luogo privilegiato per le riflessioni sui pregi e i difetti della neonata arte tipografica da parte degli umanisti: tra grandi entusiasmi e feroci critiche, si fanno spazio confronti con il mondo del libro manoscritto e considerazioni sull’approccio ai testi consentito dal nuovo strumento, un approccio non solo quantitativamente ma anche qualitativamente diverso rispetto al passato, fino a proporre la mancata scoperta della stampa come il motivo che aveva provocato la rovina della cultura antica.

Marsilio Ficino’s Latin translation of the Greek Corpus Hermeticum was carried out in 1463 at Cosimo de’ Medici’s request and first printed in Treviso in 1471 without Ficino’s consent. This translation, together with Ficino’s preface running through Trismegistus’s life and writings, was the starting point of modern Hermetism. The striking success of the Pimander–by far the most widespread of Ficino's works–is demonstrated by more than 40 extant manuscripts, 24 printed editions up to the end of the sixteenth century, and renaissance translations in many vernacular languages.

Results of archaeobotanical analyses carried out in a Renaissance pit situated in the Santi Quattro Coronati complex in Rome are presented. The study focuses on carpological remains, preserved through mummification by desiccation. The complex, first attest- ed in 499 AD, underwent a long series of transformations and ad- ditions over the course of the centuries. In the 13th century it was divided between a monastery filiated with the Umbrian Abbey of Sassovivo and a vast palace, meant to host the cardinals.

The study of plant and animal remains from archaeological sites provides important evidences on past human diet: these include species selection, food preparation practices, consumption, and discard; furthermore, information on social status may also be inferred from organic materials recovered during archaeological excavations.

The Arabic language enjoys a complex status, due to the systematic coexistence of very different registers: literary Classic Arabic, spoken dialects, and various levels of so-called Middle Arabic. Knowledge of Arabic in Europe during the centuries of pre-modern and early-modern era usually would entail a (partial) competence in only one of these levels. Moreover, all these variants represented contact with or access to different communities and areas of knowledge.