Bookmarks: Digitized "Aberdeen bestiary"

IN RUBRIC "IN BOOKMARKS" We talk about websites and online services - both useful and completely useless, but funny and amazing - which, in fact, should be added to favorites or added to the RSS-feed.

Aberdeen bestiary

The frightening title "Aberdeen bestiary" hides a book, supposedly created in the XII century - the first mention of it dates back to 1542, when it was included in the collection of Henry VIII. Bestiarium is a medieval collection dedicated to animals (both real and fictional), where their example tells about the basic principles of morality.

In November, Aberdeen University, which owns the book, posted photos of the pages of the bestiary in high resolution in open access; on the university website, you can view them in the smallest detail - right up to the scuffs and fingerprints on the pages. Each page is accompanied by a small commentary telling what is depicted in the illustration, as well as decoding the text and its translation into modern English. A detailed survey helped to find out that the book was used for educational purposes: there were fingerprints in its margins confirming that it was shown to the class. At Aberdeen University they hope that, thanks to an electronic copy, the bestiary will be used again in studies.

Photo: ABDN