12-01-2016, 04:25 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-01-2016, 10:47 AM by -JKP-.
Edit Reason: clarification
)
I don't see it as a contradiction.
The rosettes page has always looked like maps to me (so much so, I have to constantly remind myself that it may have nothing to do with maps and that I have to keep an open mind). Assuming for the moment that it's a map, the VM author must have had some particular motivation for including it, since maps were not typically included in books primarily concerned with herbs and other medical information and those with astrological charts usually only included maps of the solar system and sometimes mappa mundi.
So I've been going on the premise (I don't want to call it a theory as it's more of a temporary working assumption) that it documents a journey (or the location that was the focus of the journey), in which case the cultural references on the map page may not be the same as those in other parts of the document.
I think the swallowtail merlons are intentional. I suspect the shapes of the castles are, as well. They are landmarks that would probably be recognized by people at the time. The problem with identifying them in the 21st century, is that entire regions were often sacked and the buildings razed to the ground. Even if they weren't, castles were constantly renovated and extended—few remain in their original condition.
The rosettes page has always looked like maps to me (so much so, I have to constantly remind myself that it may have nothing to do with maps and that I have to keep an open mind). Assuming for the moment that it's a map, the VM author must have had some particular motivation for including it, since maps were not typically included in books primarily concerned with herbs and other medical information and those with astrological charts usually only included maps of the solar system and sometimes mappa mundi.
So I've been going on the premise (I don't want to call it a theory as it's more of a temporary working assumption) that it documents a journey (or the location that was the focus of the journey), in which case the cultural references on the map page may not be the same as those in other parts of the document.
I think the swallowtail merlons are intentional. I suspect the shapes of the castles are, as well. They are landmarks that would probably be recognized by people at the time. The problem with identifying them in the 21st century, is that entire regions were often sacked and the buildings razed to the ground. Even if they weren't, castles were constantly renovated and extended—few remain in their original condition.