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Primary sourceBookc. 1310 copy

Physica

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1310 copy

A later copy of Hildegard's Physica, her natural history text describing plants, animals and medicine.

This is a later copy of Hildegard's own text on natural history and medicine, showing her scholarly contributions.

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An open medieval manuscript bound volume lying on red fabric. Two pages of handwritten black-ink text in Latin script, with red initials and paragraph marks, are visible. A red circular label with the number 323 is on the right page. The vellum is yellowed and worn at the edges.
Physica of Hildegard, Laurenziana manuscript, c. 1310 copy. Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana.

About this source

What it is

This manuscript is a later copy, made around 1310, of Hildegard of Bingen's Physica, a natural history work she originally wrote. It is held in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. The photo shows an open bound volume with handwritten Latin text in black ink, red initials, and paragraph marks on yellowed vellum pages.

Why it matters

The Physica is one of Hildegard's own works, recording her knowledge of plants, animals, stones and their medicinal uses. It shows her as a scholar of natural science and medicine, not only a religious mystic, and reveals how medieval people understood the natural world and healing.

Look closer

  • Why do you think later copyists kept producing new versions of this text over centuries?
  • What might the red initials and markings have helped medieval readers do?
  • What does the condition of the vellum tell you about how old and used this book is?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hildegard of Bingen on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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