A Database for Three Dioscoridean Illustrated Herbals

Abstract

<jats:p>An image database was developed for three illustrated recensions of the non-illustrated manuscript of Dioscorides entitled Πɛρí ύλης ιατρικης (<jats:italic>De Materia Medica</jats:italic> in Latin; <jats:italic>On Medical Matters</jats:italic> in English) written in approximately Year 65: <jats:italic>Juliana Anicia Codex</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>JAC</jats:italic>) or <jats:italic>Codex Vindobonensis</jats:italic> produced in Year 512, <jats:italic>Codex Neapolitanus</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>NAP</jats:italic>) produced in the late sixth or early seventh century, and <jats:italic>Morgan 652</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>M652</jats:italic>) produced between 927 and 985. The database that brings up images and accompanying records is searchable by herbal, common name in English and Greek (Roman alphabet), binomial (current and in source document), and botanical family. In addition, a Venn diagram of images in the three herbals permits a search for images that are common or unique among the three herbals. The database makes it possible to locate images in herbals written in Greek that are difficult to access and will be useful to horticulturists and herbal scholars. The database can be accessed at &lt;<jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbalimages" xlink:type="simple">http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbalimages</jats:ext-link>&gt;.</jats:p>