Archived Sites

This page lists sites which have been archived and links to relevant content.

Ars Anatomica - Imaging the Renaissance Body

The purpose of Ars Anatomica was to signal the existence of, and to encourage research on, some of the most important books on human anatomy in the collections of Edinburgh University Library (EUL) and the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE). These books, as well as often being in themselves beautiful objects, were fundamental instruments for the international communication of knowledge about anatomy.

The web site concentrated on the visual aspects of this process of information transfer, which has allowed maximum use of the impressive capabilities of high resolution digital imaging.

Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, printed in 1543, in Basel, by Johannes Oporinus was chosen as the central work. The diffusion of its illustrations in sixteenth-century Europe, both directly and indirectly, is the subject of this online presentation.

Charting the Nation: maps of Scotland and associated archives 1550 - 1740

The Charting the Nation image collection includes a wide variety of single maps and maps in atlases and other bound books, together with important manuscript and printed texts relating to the geography and mapping of Scotland from 1550 to 1740 and beyond.

The site contained invaluable source materials for the study of the history of cartography, architectural history, genealogy, military history, environmental history and archaeology, amongst many other disciplines. Over 3,500 high resolution images are currently available.

Christine de Pizan: the Making of the Queen's Manuscript

The Making of the Queen's Manuscript focuses on London, British Library, Harley MS 4431, the largest surviving collected manuscript of the works of Christine de Pizan (1365-ca1431). Commissioned by Queen Isabel of France, the collection was planned, copied, decorated and corrected under Christine's direct supervision, before being presented to Queen Isabel early in 1414. This research programme has been funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant of £199,716 over the five years from 1 October 2004 to 31 October 2009, and is being carried out in partnership with the British Library which has contributed a complete set of high-resolution digital images of Harley MS 4431.

The planned outcomes of the research programme include a study of Christine de Pizan's language. In that connexion the University of Edinburgh has signed a collaboration agreement with ATILF (Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française - Analysis and Computer Processing of the French Language), a joint research unit of the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and the University of Nancy 2. ATILF is recognised worldwide for its outstanding work on the French language from the Middle Ages to the present day. Of particular relevance to The Making of the Queen's Manuscript is the ATILF research on Old and Middle French which has developed the Dictionnaire électronique de Chrétien de Troyes and the Dictionnaire du Moyen Français.

The project was located in the University of Edinburgh, partly in the French section of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, partly in the Special Collections department of Edinburgh University Library (EUL). The Project Director is Professor James Laidlaw. Dr Andrew Grout, Special Collections Digital Library Officer, is Project Officer. The Research Associate is Dr Charles Mansfield. Dr Justin Clegg, Curator of Medieval Literary Manuscripts, is the Project Officer for the British Library.

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