In the late 15-16C, Renaissance researchers "rediscovered" ancient botany. They produced editions of the works of some of the most famous ancient writers on botany: Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Pliny the Elder and Galen.
While Theophrastus’
Historia plantarum libri decem was published at Amsterdam in 1644 and edited by Robert Constantin (d. 1605). Dioscorides’
De Materia Medica. was attractive to Renaissance editors because it was considered more reliable because of the imprimatur it had received from Galen, practical because of its medical focus, and, finally, useful as an exemplar because it fit in well with emerging humanist methodologies. Most 18C physicians viewed it as their most important text on medical botany. Textbooks by Galen and Dioscorides dominated the botanical curricula of 16C medical schools.
John Gerard,
The herball or Generall historie of plantes (London, 1633), details from title page.
His Aldine edition of Aristotle’s works included Aristotle’s exploration of botany. Later Roman writers, such as Emperor Augustus’ doctor, Antonius Musa (fl. 23BC) and Emperor Nero’s contemporary Pliny the Elder (23-79AD) were also read in the 15-16C. Pliny the Elder’s
Historia naturalis had been well known to humanists of the early 15C. Initially printed in 1469, the 1492-3 edition had caused a major debate within Renaissance scholarship on the veracity of the text.
Pliny the elder, C.
Plinii Secundi historiae mundi libri XXXVII (Basle, 1539), title page detail.
Although
De herba vetonica was attributed to Antonius Musa it seems likely that it was in fact written much later than the 1C BC – recent commentators suggest it was the work of a 4C AD writer.
Antonius Musa,
Ant. Musae de herba vetonica liber I. L. Apulei de medicaminibus herbarum liber I (Zurich, 1537), p. 1 detail.
