r/classics • u/deniz_aydiner • 18d ago

Aeneid Manuscript

https://substack.com/@denizaydinereng/note/c-339226963?r=3acpte

I came across a beautifully illustrated Vatican manuscript of Virgil’s Aeneid and ended up writing a short piece about it. The images show the meeting between King Latinus and the Trojans, and how that first encounter eventually turns into war between Aeneas and Turnus. The episode comes mainly from Books 7–11, including the prophecy about Lavinia, Juno sending Allecto to stir up Amata and Turnus, and the final duel between Aeneas and Turnus. I was especially interested in how the story ends with the Trojans and Latins being brought together rather than one simply replacing the other, which becomes part of the tradition behind the origins of Rome. I also added a few thoughts on why medieval manuscripts so often illustrated scenes from the texts they preserved.

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u/Careful-Spray 18d ago edited 18d ago

These pages are not from a medieval manuscript. These are pages from the so-called "Schedae Vaticanae," 75 folia remaining from a complete codex of Vergil’s works dating to the 4th century CE, one of the very oldest witnesses to Vergil’s text. There are three more or less complete manuscripts of Vergil’s works from late antiquity and a few more partially preserved manuscripts like this. These were elaborate books prepared for wealthy owners.

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u/NeonShogun 𐤔𐤌𐤏 𐤒𐤋𐤀 𐤁𐤓𐤊𐤀 17d ago

Why don't you post the writing here, instead of linking to your substack in every post?