Scorpios

[Jorge_Stolfi]

i can’t believe any of the artists who drew these weird “scorpions” had ever seen an actual scorpion! ...
And that in itself could perhaps be a clue perhaps? ... their natural range in Europe extends as far north as Northern Italy and Switzerland, but no further. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Is this a hint that the scribe who drew the image came from somewhere to the north of the range in which scorpions are common? Just a thought, but it could perhaps be another clue that suggests the area around the Mediterranean is an unlikely location for the manuscript to have been created, and that possibly southern Germany is a more probable location than Italy?

Good point.  According to Wikipedia, "Scorpions prefer areas where the temperature remains in the range of 11–40 °C, but may survive temperatures from well below freezing to desert heat."  Their You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. apparently excludes most of Europe north of the Alps.  But I suppose also the Alps themselves above a certain altitude.  Thus a Scribe from Northern Italy does not seem to be completely excluded...

All the best, --stolfi