Book Description

The first study in English of an important veterinary text from late antiquity

Full of fascinating details about the way horses were cared for - including massages with olive oil, and sauna sessions

Provides a case-study for the way scientific texts were transmitted during the Byzantine period

How were Greek texts on the care and medical treatment of the horse transmitted from antiquity to the present day? Using the evidence of Byzantine manuscripts of the veterinary compilation known as the Hippiatrica , Anne McCabe traces the journey of the texts from the stables to the medieval scriptorium and ultimately to the printed edition. Surviving manuscripts include both magnificent presentation copies and plain ones intended for use in the field. The Hippiatrica is a rich and little-known source of information about horses, medicine, and magic. This book provides a guide to its complex history as well as a host of fascinating details, and includes colour illustrations of a number of manuscript pages.

Anne McCabe is a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford