Geoponica
20-volume collection of agricultural lore compiled in 10th century Constantinople
The Geoponica or Geoponika (Greek: Γεωπονικά) 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. It is the only surviving Byzantine agricultural work.
During the Macedonian Renaissance, the emperor Constantine VII assembled several compendia - compilations and excerpts of ancient writings - of which Geoponika was one. Around 50 manuscripts, dating from between the 10th and 16th centuries, have survived. Geoponika incorporated the work of Cassianus Bassus, which was compiled from an earlier work by Vindonius Anatolius.
01Contents
The Geoponica embraces all manner of "agricultural" information, including celestial and terrestrial omina, viticulture, oleoculture, apiculture, veterinary medicine, the construction of fish ponds 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
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Geoponica”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
