A Byzantine Encyclopaedia of Horse Medicine The Sources, Compilation, and Transmission of the Hippiatrica

How were Greek texts on the care and medical treatment of the horse transmitted from antiquity to the present day? Using the evidence of Byzantine manuscripts of the veterinary compilation known as the Hippiatrica, Anne McCabe traces the journey of the texts from the stables to the medieval scriptorium and ultimately to the printed edition. Surviving manuscripts include both magnificent presentation copies and plain ones intended for use in the field. The Hippiatrica is a rich and little-known source of information about horses, medicine, and magic. This book provides a guide to its complex history as well as a host of fascinating details, and includes color illustrations of a number of manuscript pages.

Anne McCabe works on the Agora Excavations of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens