New light on a so far neglected heirloom of sixteenth century botany

Italian Jews of the late Renaissance took ancient incense seriously. There were at least two divergent approaches toward biblical incense in sixteenth-century Jewish culture. Judah Moscato's analysis of biblical incense is exclusively homiletical. This chapter analyzes Abraham Portaleone's study of biblical incense and places it in the context of a broader Italian movement of the sixteenth century that included other Jews such as Amatus Lusitanus, David de' Pomi, and Moses Cases as well as contemporary Catholics such as Ulisse Aldrovandi. That movement was initiated by several developments in sixteenth-century Italian culture including curricular reforms in university medical faculties, the popularization of botanical gardens, and renewed debate about the precise meaning and proper translation of Scripture. Keywords:Abraham Portaleone; Amatus Lusitanus; Biblical Incense; Judah Moscato; Renaissance Mantua

The History of Things in Ralf Andtbacka's<i>Wunderkammer</i>

The variety of cultural patterns that marks the Italian scene in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is a historical phenomenon as familiar to the general historian as to the student of all the special fields to which Italy made its contributions at that time. Inquiry into the conditions determining the characteristics of some of the cities will point in different directions : to leading artists and scholars and their ‘schools’; to the taste and interest of individual or collective patrons; to outside influences, and so forth. Very often such an inquiry will uncover strands that lead back deep into the medieval past of the city. Yet medievalists, in writing monographs on one or another city, have found themselves mostly involved in the political and economic problems of the Italian scene, and indeed in the diversity that marked each city, but have paid little attention to local culture. Still, as shown by one brilliant example — the analysis by Robert Davidsohn of Florentine culture in the time of Dante — the task is an extremely rewarding one. For not only medieval Florence — thirteenth-century Florence which gave birth to Dante and the art of Giotto and Arnolfo da Cambio—but many other cities of northern and central Italy, great and small, wove the general influences and ideas of the age into their own pattern of culture, each with a design of its own. To be sure, many cities show similarities in their cultural growth just as they do in their political and economic development, but a more thorough analysis will reveal differences in the pace of their development as well as in the ‘selection’ of trends that determine their character. Potentialities and dispositions for leadership were apparent in several centers of Tuscany and northern Italy, and it would have been difficult at that time to predict which among them was to achieve a leadership that would last longer and extend over larger areas than that of one of its rivals.

Botanical gardens were first established only for scientific reasons, however, later they have been started to be used for educational and recreation reasons. Since the 1980s it has been used to preserve natural resources and increase the biological variety. Botanical gardens are used as a tool all around the world to create environmental awareness, preserve natural resources and increase biological variety via educational activities. However, the botanical gardens which are important all over the world, are behind the world standards in Turkey when compared to other countries. However, 11.707 plant taxa including 3649 endemic varieties found in Turkey. Turkey seems to be richer in flora, compared with the continent of Europe, which is about 15 times larger than Turkey with 12,000 plant taxa. Turkey already deserves a sample equivalent to the botanical gardens in the world. Within the context of this study, Süleyman Demirel University Botanical Garden, which was started to establish in 1997 and not completed entirely, was determined as the study area. In the project, the main circulation system and the lateral roads reaching to the plant collections are not clearly perceived. There is no circulation hierarchy that visitors can follow. In addition, the botanical gardens are defined not only areas where collections are exhibited, but also areas where environmental consciousness and ecological awareness can be raised. So, new plan decisions were taken for Süleyman Demirel University Botanical Garden by using the data obtained from literature researches and field studies related to the Lakes Region, Isparta, and the study area. Within the framework of these plan decisions, a new design approach for Süleyman Demirel University Botanical Garden has been developed that includes plant collections such as healing garden, discovery garden, sensory garden, and local plant materials.

The Iron Age is characterized by an extended interweaving of movements by Celts in Europe. Several waves of Celts from Western and Central Europe migrated southeast and west from the core area of the La Téne culture (between Bourgogne and Bohemia). Through the analysis of non-metric dental traits, this work aims to understand the biological relationship among Celtic groups arrived in Italy and the Carpathian Basin, as well as between local populations and Celtic newcomers. A total of 10 non-metric dental traits were analyzed to evaluate biological affinities among Celts (Sopron-Krautacker and Pilismarót-Basaharc) and Scythians-related populations from Hungary (Tápiószele), Celts from continental Europe (Switzerland and Austria), two Iron Age Etruscan-Celtic sites from northern Italy (Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele), 13 Iron Age central-southern Italic necropolises, and the northern Italian Bronze Age necropolis of Scalvinetto. Strontium isotopes were measured on individuals from the necropolis of Monte Bibele to infer their local or non-local origin. Results highlight the existence of statistically significant differences between Celts and autochthonous Italian groups. Celtic groups from Hungary and Italy (i.e., non-local individuals of Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele) share a similar biological background, supporting the historical records mentioning a common origin for Celts migrated to the eastern and southern borders of today’s Europe. The presence of a supposed Steppean ancestry both in Celts from Hungary and Celts from northern Italy corroborates the hypothesis of the existence of a westward migration of individuals and genes from the Steppe towards northern Italy during the Bronze and Iron Age, which contributed to the biological variability of pre-Celtic and later Celtic populations, respectively. Conversely, individuals from central-southern Italy show an autochthonous pre-Iron Age background. Lastly, this work supports the existence of Celtic migratory routes in northern Italy, as shown by biological and cultural admixture between Celts and Italics living together.

Es dificil calibrar en el pensamiento de los europeos de la modernidad temprana, la importancia del impacto producido por el conocimiento de un continente desconocido hasta entonces, poblado por especies vegetales y animales que no hallan parangon con las que integraban el acervo de sus conocimientos, y por seres humanos con culturas y patrimonios materiales no asimilables a lo conocido por aquellos hasta entonces. Los espanoles, vanguardia del avance europeo, enfrentaron en el siglo XVI el horizonte ampliado de sus experiencias con las mismas armas materiales e intelectuales que les habian servido hasta 1492 para integrarse a la Europa renacentista. Las historiografias europeas y americanas hasta el siglo XX ponen de manifiesto el exito con que los peninsulares —espanoles y portugueses— lograron imponer su dominio con la construccion de inmensos territorios coloniales. America fue concebida en los proyectos politicos de los europeos y en especial de los espanoles, en primer lugar, como instrumento para solucionar los problemas demograficos, economicos, religiosos y sociales del Viejo Continente. La Monarquia Hispanica de Tomas Campanella exhibe un efecto posible de tal experiencia. Testigo del momento de la ampliacion del mundo conocido por los europeos, concibe un proyecto que escapa al espacio del Mediterraneo integrando al Nuevo Mundo en el Imperio Hispanico, pero no escapa a los efectos de una perspectiva eurocentrica. En tal proyecto, y de manera correlativa, America y los indios americanos tienen un papel pasivo y marginal. It is hard to measure the importance of the impact produced by the knowledge of a hitherto unknown continent in the thinking of early modern Europeans. This land, populated by plants and animals that find no comparison with those that made the stock of their knowledge, and by human beings with cultures and material heritages not comparable to those hitherto known. The Spaniards were the forefront of European progress in the newly discovered lands in the sixteenth century. They had to face the expanded horizon of their experiences with the same material and intellectual weapons that had served them until 1492 to join Renaissance Europe. European and American historiography until the twentieth century show the success with which the Spaniards and Portuguese managed to impose their rule constructing vast colonial territories. America was conceived in political projects of European and especially Spanish, first, as a tool to solve the demographic, economic, religious and social problems of the Old Continent. The Spanish Monarchy of Thomas Campanella exhibits a possible effect of such experience. Witness of the expansion of the known world by Europeans, conceived a project that goes beyond the Mediterranean space integrating the New World in the Hispanic Empire, but not immune to the effects of an eurocentric perspective. In this project, and correlatively, American Indians have a passive and marginal role.

Introduction Elites – princes and prelates, patricians and monarchs – played a major role in the Reformation. At times, as in the cases of Henry VIII, Frederick the Wise, Philipp of Hesse, and the magistrates of scores of German and Swiss cities, their roles have been interpreted as decisive. Cuius regio, eius religio. But what about Italy? There, socio-economic, political, and cultural forces, especially in the northern half of the peninsula, would seem not only to have made this region espe...

Gaspare Tagliacozzi successfully practised the art of plastic surgery in the sixteenth century and conducted a long series of precise observations on the basis of which he formulated detailed principles for rhinoplastic. He wrote the first complete description of nasal reconstruction using skin from the arm. Tagliacozzi's teachers at the University of Bologna during his student days remain largely unfamiliar, Giulio Cesare Aranzio, Ulisse Aldrovandi and Girolamo Cardano. Aldrovandi taught the 'ordinary', that is the principal course in natural philosophy. Aranzio taught the chief course in surgery and anatomy. Cardano taught a course in the theory of medicine. Their activity contributed to the slow move from Galenic teaching in medicine and the static acceptance of tradition in all science.

ISHS XXVI International Horticultural Congress: The Knowledge Business: Horticulture Education and Knowledge Transfer DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF AN ORNAMENTAL TEACHING GARDEN AT THE INDIAN RIVER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

In this study, the invasive orange spiny whitefly ("OSW"; Aleurocanthus spiniferus) and a species of Encarsia parasitising its puparia were studied in three different areas of the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy): a pear orchard in Bomporto, an organic pear orchard in Carpi, and the semi-natural botanical garden "La Pica" in San Felice sul Panaro. The material of both species was collected for taxonomic and molecular studies. The abundance of OSW and parasitoid activity were surveyed in whitefly puparia, with a focus on the botanical garden. A total of 1800 leaves of Malus domestica, Pyrus communis and Vitis vinifera were sampled to assess whitefly infestation. The results showed a significant variation in the abundance of A. spiniferus puparia, with the highest infestation observed in V. vinifera. Morphological and molecular analyses, including mitochondrial COI and rRNA 16S for whiteflies and COI and 28S for parasitoids, confirmed the identity of A. spiniferus and identified the parasitoid as Encarsia nipponica. Molecular data also revealed the presence of three haplotypes of A. spiniferus, including a haplotype from China, new to Europe. The parasitisation rate by E. nipponica was low (0.015%). Our results provide the first European record of E. nipponica and new genetic data on the invasion pathways of A. spiniferus. Collectively, these findings offer a critical baseline for monitoring their ecological interactions and developing future pest management strategies.

BackgroundThis research was performed in an area belonging to the province of the city of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy). The purpose of the present survey was to record the local knowledge concerning traditional uses of wild food plants and related practices, such as gathering, processing, cooking, therapeutic uses, with the aim of preserving an important part of the local cultural heritage.MethodsThirty-nine people still retaining Traditional Local Knowledge (TLK) were interviewed between March-April 2012 and September - October 2013 by means of open and semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews. For each plant species mentioned, we recorded the botanical family, the English common name, the Italian common and/or folk names, the parts of the plant used, the culinary preparation, and the medicinal usage. The relative frequency of citation index (RFC), a tool that measures the local cultural importance of a plant species, was also included.ResultsThe folk plants mentioned by the respondents belonged to 33 botanical families, of which the Rosaceae (14 plants) and the Asteraceae (9 plants) were the most representative. The species with the highest RFC index (0.77) were Crepis vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia (Thuill) Thell and Taraxacum officinale Weber. Eleven folk plants were indicated as having therapeutic effects. T. officinale Weber, C. vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia (Thuill) Thell and Sonchus spp., which are used as food, were reported to be depurative, blood cleaning, refreshing, diuretic and laxative. The most commonly used species was Urtica spp, which was also the most frequently cited for medicinal uses.ConclusionsThe present survey documented the wild food plant traditional knowledge of an area belonging to the province of the city of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy). The general perception obtained is that on one side the TLK related to wild food plants has strongly been eroded, mainly due to immigration and urbanization phenomena, whereas on the other side these plants are revaluated today because they are perceived as healthy and also because they represent the preservation of biodiversity and a way of getting back to nature.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1746-4269-10-69) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Research Article| January 01 2007 Learning on the Trail: A Content Analysis of a University Arboretum's Exemplary Interpretive, Science Signage System James H. Wandersee, James H. Wandersee Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Renee M. Clary Renee M. Clary Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (2007) 69 (1): 16–23. https://doi.org/10.2307/4452076 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation James H. Wandersee, Renee M. Clary; Learning on the Trail: A Content Analysis of a University Arboretum's Exemplary Interpretive, Science Signage System. The American Biology Teacher 1 January 2007; 69 (1): 16–23. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4452076 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright National Association of Biology Teachers Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The Botanic Garden of Modena (Northern Italy) was founded in 1758 by Duke Francesco III d’Este. Its original functions of “Hortus simplicium” evolved over more than two centuries of its academic history, until its present structure. Today, like the majority of the University Botanic Gardens in Italy, the Modena Botanic Garden is involved in several projects for plant conservation and ecosystem management that are compliant with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Even if its original location in the centre of the town does not permit enlargement or structural modifications, it does, however, greatly help the education activities carried out in the Garden, while the conservation activities are developed outside the Garden by means of numerous co-operations with Parks, natural reserves and other administrative bodies or institutions. The Botanic Garden of Modena recently started various in situ/ex situ integrated conservation projects with Parks and other land-managing institutions. Even if such projects involve only a limited number of Endangered and/or Vulnerable species/populations, some interesting and noticeable results have been achieved. Plantlets (e.g. indigenous Orchidaceae) are often obtained by the way of non-conventional techniques such as in vitro culture. Co-operation with local Museums has provided interesting sources for future action: the collections that they preserve are mostly related to circumscribed local areas or well-defined periods, so they are the source of fundamental information about past situations. Investigation on flora and vegetation and the monitoring of plants and plant communities, carried out in protected areas, cooperating with the National Forestry Service, is a very important source of knowledge to improve conservation and verify the effectiveness of conservation actions.

The Botanic Garden of Pisa was established in 1543 as a teaching tool and research facility. As with the vast majority of its sister institutions, it focuses on plant collections. However, for a short time in the first half of the XIX century, the Botanic Garden exhibited a living giraffe, a cow, and a calf. Due to the transient nature of the exhibition, it could have easily gone unnoticed but for the fortuitous representation of the animals in a drawing of the same period and for sparse notes archived in the libraries of Pisa University. Furthermore, a XIX-century publication on the morphological and behavioural traits of three antelopes indirectly suggests that those animals had been kept in the Botanic Garden for research purposes. This paper presents the evidence of the living animal display in the Botanic Garden of Pisa and the context in which it was collected.

In this work, we studied Tanacetum vulgare, Tanacetum parthenium, and Tanacetum corymbosum (Asteraceae) cultivated at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Toscolano Maderno, Brescia, Northern Italy) of the University of Milan. An integrative research approach was adopted: microscopic and histochemical, with special focus on the secretory structures responsible for the productivity of secondary metabolites; phytochemical, with the analysis of the essential oil (EO) profiles from the air-dried, flowered aerial parts collected in June 2021; bio-ecological, with emphasis, based on literature data, on the ecology and biological activity of the main EO components. In all three species, two basic trichome morphotypes (flagellar non-glandular and biseriate glandular) occurred with different distribution patterns. The glandular ones produced terpenes, along with flavonoids. A high level of chemical variability in the EO compositions emerged, specifically for qualitative data. T. vulgare profile was more complex and heterogeneous than those obtained from T. parthenium and T. corymbosum, with camphor as the predominant compound, followed by farnesol and α-santalone, respectively. Finally, the obtained scientific findings were made available to the visitors of the botanic garden through new dissemination labeling that highlights the "invisible", microscopic features of the plants, from an Open Science perspective ("Botanic Garden, factories of molecules…work in progress"-Lombardy Region Project Lr. 25/2016, year 2021).