No text, but a visual code

[Antonio García Jiménez]

I have argued on several occasions that the Rosettes foldout is a superb representation of the medieval cosmos. Two main elements confirm this: first, the nine circles—or rather, nine spheres—comprising the sphere of the fixed stars, the spheres of the planets (including the Sun and the Moon), and finally the sphere of the Earth, which appears alongside the T-O map in the upper right-hand corner, featuring a drawing of a castle. The second element confirming this is the central sphere of the fixed stars, featuring ornate vessels similar to those found in the pharmacy section—a metaphor for astral influence on medicinal herbs.

  There is an alternative interpretation of the Rosettes foldout. Some maintain that it is a map, and various locations on Earth are proposed. I believe this stems from a misinterpretation of the drawing—which depicts a high wall, what appear to be cliffs, and small houses clinging to the faces of those cliffs. While this seems to describe real places, it is actually a metaphor intended to convey the idea of Earth as a sphere suspended in space, just like the other spheres. The entire image is a representation of the skies.