3.9 SkillBuilder activity USING HISTORICAL SOURCES Written and illustrated by twelfth-century French nun Herrad of Landsberg, the Hortus Deliciarum ( Garden of Delights ) is a beautifully illustrated compendium of other twelfth-century texts, such as poems, texts by classical writers, illustrations and music. Herrad of Landsberg was the abbess (leader) of a convent. She collected the texts and also wrote a number of the poems with messages to her fellow nuns. It is surmised that she drew the illustrations as well, of which there are over 300. The original was destroyed in a fire around 1870, but luckily fragments were copied and saved. This is a rich text that tells modern historians much about the time in which it was created, but also about the extraordinary woman who was Herrad of Landsberg. Conduct research to find fragments of the illustrations from the Hortus Deliciarum. Collect these digitally as a class and compare the different sections. • What texts and illustrations did you find? • What do these tell historians about Herrad and her community, as well as the times in which she lived?
SOURCE4 The illustration of Hell in the Hortus Deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg
3.9
Exercise
Learning pathways LEVEL1 2, 3, 4
LEVEL2
LEVEL3
1, 5, 8, 9
6, 7, 10
REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND 1. Explain why someone might become a monk or nun. 2. Recall how people could gain an education in the early medieval period. 3. Medieval religious communities contributed to the survival of many ancient __________ and __________ literary texts. 4. Recall what vellum and quills were made of. A. Animal skins and feathers B. Velvet and feathers C. Animal skins and sticks D. Papyrus and metal 5. Determine if the following statements are True or False. a. The illuminations, or drawings, in a medieval manuscript are so named because the precious metals used shone and caught the light thus illuminating the text. b. The Church was one of many sources of literacy during the Middle Ages. c. Illuminated manuscripts became obsolete when the printing press was invented. d. Many ancient Roman and Greek texts were destroyed forever due to the process of copying them for teaching purposes.
TOPIC3 Medieval Europe 81
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