Geoponica
Encyclopedia
The Geoponica is a twenty-book collection of agricultural lore, compiled during the 10th century in Constantinople
for the Byzantine
emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
. The Greek
word Geoponica signifies "agricultural pursuits" in its widest sense.
The 10th century collection is sometimes (wrongly) ascribed to the 7th century author Cassianus Bassus
, whose collection, also titled Geoponica, was integrated into the extant work. Bassus drew heavily on the work on another agricultural compiler, Vindonius Anatolius
(4th century). The ultimate sources of the Geoponica include Pliny
, various lost Hellenistic and Roman-period Greek agriculture and veterinary authors, the Carthaginian agronomist Mago
, and even works passing under the name of the Persian prophet Zoroaster
. (The names of the principal sources for each section are attached to the text, although the age and correctness of these attributions remains in doubt.) The Greek manuscript tradition is extremely complex and not fully understood. Syriac
, Pahlavi
, Arabic
and Armenian
translations attest to its worldwide popularity and complicate the manuscript tradition still further.
, oleoculture
, apiculture
, veterinary medicine
, the construction of fishponds and much more.
Taken from Charles Anthon's Manual of Greek Literature (1853).
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
for the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
Constantine VII
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
. The Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word Geoponica signifies "agricultural pursuits" in its widest sense.
The 10th century collection is sometimes (wrongly) ascribed to the 7th century author Cassianus Bassus
Cassianus Bassus
Cassianus Bassus, called Scholasticus was one of the geoponici — the group of writers on agricultural subjects.He lived at the end of the 6th or the beginning of the 7th century. He compiled from earlier writers a collection of agricultural literature; the principal source was Vindonius Anatolius...
, whose collection, also titled Geoponica, was integrated into the extant work. Bassus drew heavily on the work on another agricultural compiler, Vindonius Anatolius
Vindonius Anatolius
Vindonius Anatolius of Beirut was a Greek author of the 4th century, and may be identical with the praetor of the Praetorian prefect of Illyricum mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus....
(4th century). The ultimate sources of the Geoponica include Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, various lost Hellenistic and Roman-period Greek agriculture and veterinary authors, the Carthaginian agronomist Mago
Mago (agricultural writer)
Mago was a Carthaginian writer, author of an agricultural manual in Punic which was a record of the farming knowledge of Carthage. The Punic text has been lost, but some fragments of Greek and Latin translations survive....
, and even works passing under the name of the Persian prophet Zoroaster
Zoroaster
Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
. (The names of the principal sources for each section are attached to the text, although the age and correctness of these attributions remains in doubt.) The Greek manuscript tradition is extremely complex and not fully understood. Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, Pahlavi
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
translations attest to its worldwide popularity and complicate the manuscript tradition still further.
Contents
The Geoponica embraces all manner of "agricultural" information, including celestial and terrestrial omina, viticultureViticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
, oleoculture
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, apiculture
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
, veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
, the construction of fishponds and much more.
Taken from Charles Anthon's Manual of Greek Literature (1853).
- 1. Of the atmosphere, and of the rising and setting of the stars
- 2. Of general matters appertaining to agriculture, and of the different kinds of corn
- 3. Of the various agricultural duties suitable to each month
- 4–5. Of the cultivation of the vine
- 6–8. Of the making of wine
- 9. Of the cultivation of the olive and the making of oil
- 10–12. Of horticulture
- 13. Of the animals and insects injurious to plants
- 14. Of pigeons and other birds
- 15. Of natural sympathies and antipathies, and of the management of bees
- 16. Of horses, donkeys and camels
- 17. Of the breeding of cattle
- 18. Of the breeding of sheep
- 19. Of dogs, hares, deer, pigs, and of salting meat
- 20. Of fishes