Medieval Natural History Meets the New World: The Birds of Hernandez’s Rerum medicarum Novae Hispaniae thesaurus

Course Description

Course Description: We will read and translate together selected ornithological entries from Francisco Hernández de Toledo’s Thesaurus, a massive, richly illustrated Latin account of the author’s seven years in Mexico. Dispatched in 1570 from the court of Philip II to explore the New World’s medicinal resources, Hernández far exceeded his charge, producing an exhaustive catalogue of Mexico’s natural riches based on his own observations and on information gathered from experienced Nahua informants. His report is fascinating at the merely factual level, comprising the first descriptions of many American organisms; at the same time, the Thesaurus is an important document in the early modern confrontation of the new, empirical science of nature and the humanistic, compilatory tradition of such great predecessors as Gesner and Aldrovandi Level: , comprising the first descriptions of many American organisms; at the same time, the Thesaurus is an important document in the early modern confrontation of the new, empirical science of nature and the humanistic, compilatory tradition of such great predecessors as Gesner and Aldrovandi Textbook: Instructor will provide materials

Details

• Semester: Spring 2024
• Day: Sunday
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Duration: 60 minutes per session

Tuition

$250 per course

Availability

4 spots remaining out of 5

Cancellation Policy

Telepaideia tuition is non-refundable. However, if you need to cancel your enrollment or withdraw from your class, you may be eligible for a 50% credit to be used toward a future Telepaideia course. In order to be eligible for this credit, you must notify info@paideiainstitute.org of your withdrawal before the second class meeting has taken place.