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💬 Welcome to the Middle Ages . . .

Come with us as we travel back to the Middle Ages.

Navigate through time

# Home Page
# The Ancient World
# The Middle Ages
# The Modern World
# 19th Century to Present

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IsidorusㆍHispalensis
Contribution | Notable Findings:

He wrote "Origines sive Etymologiae", a compendium on animals that served until the rediscovery of Aristotle and Pliny. Full of errors, it nevertheless was influential for hundreds of years. He also wrote "De Natura Rerum".

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MarcoㆍPolo
Contribution | Notable Findings:

He provided information on Asiatic fauna, revealing new animals to Europeans.

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HildegardㆍofㆍBingen
Contribution | Notable Findings:

A german abbess who warned in Physica and said "just as dangerous winds come forth with lightning and thunder and hail, the toad has some diabolical art in it." This was the time when medieval bestiaries grouped amphibians with reptiles and toads were seen to be dangerous.

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A 12th century depiction of Moses' plague of frogs

Notable Findings/ Events:

Prisoners tried to poison their guards by taking a toad and mixed its poison with the drink. Turned out, the prisoners were the ones to drink it, only one survived but eventually suffered for seven years from a "monstrous swelling".

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AlbertusㆍMagnus
Contribution | Notable Findings:

He wrote "De Animalibus". He promoted Aristotle but also included new material on the perfection and intelligence of animals, especially bees.

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ChristopherㆍColumbus
Contribution | Notable Findings:

New animals soon begin to overload European zoology. Columbus is said to have introduced cattle, horses, and eight pigs from the Canary Islands to Hispanhola in 1493, giving rise to virtual devastation of that and other islands. Pigs were often set ashore by sailors to provide food on the ship's later return. Feral populations of hogs were often dangerous to humans.

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Late 13th Century: Another toad-based poisoning

Notable Findings/ Events:

Toads are dangerously venomous and they have a habit of stalking their victims. Toads of Cemais, now in Pembrokshire, once stalked and devoured a young man from the neighborhood.

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GonzaloㆍFernándezㆍdeㆍOviedo
Contribution | Notable Findings:

Wrote "Sumario de la Natural Historia delas Indias" (Toledo, 1527). He was the first to describe many New World animals, such as the tapir, opossum, manatee, iguana, armadillo, ant-eaters, sloth, pelican, humming birds, etc. Bartolemeu de las Casas said the book contained "almost as many lies as pages."

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Proceed to Modern World ➤