I cite Byzantium as a possible place where the sources for the root-and-leaf section have been made. This mainly because it was a multicultural centre between East an West, where for many people the Greek heritage was still very much alive. They have long identified as Greeks rather than Romans.
It seems obvious to me that the VM has little to do with standard Byzantine art. Byzantium just stands out as one possible place to explain some of the stranger aspects of my findings about the root and leaf section.
If I want to answer the question: where did people live and work for whom this information would be incredibly useful, Byzantium stands out as a fine option.
Specifically about the line, my main argument is that those lines appear to tap into an older tradition and have little to do with heraldry. They seem like a derivate of the aegis pattern, which had the symbolic meaning of a protective 'shield'. If we assume a collection of similar old sources, this is an option.
JKP, I agree about pagan, as in pre-Christian. The difference in attitude can also be seen in the fact that a large portion of the Balneis people are drawn without visible nipples or genitals or attempt to hide them, while in the Voynich no such taboo can be found.
It seems obvious to me that the VM has little to do with standard Byzantine art. Byzantium just stands out as one possible place to explain some of the stranger aspects of my findings about the root and leaf section.
If I want to answer the question: where did people live and work for whom this information would be incredibly useful, Byzantium stands out as a fine option.
Specifically about the line, my main argument is that those lines appear to tap into an older tradition and have little to do with heraldry. They seem like a derivate of the aegis pattern, which had the symbolic meaning of a protective 'shield'. If we assume a collection of similar old sources, this is an option.
JKP, I agree about pagan, as in pre-Christian. The difference in attitude can also be seen in the fact that a large portion of the Balneis people are drawn without visible nipples or genitals or attempt to hide them, while in the Voynich no such taboo can be found.