Manuscripta Vergiliana is a website dedicated to the textual tradition of Virgil´s works, with a special focus on Carolingian and Beneventan manuscripts (ninth-eleventh century). The website contains detailed descriptions of these manuscripts and provides access to the entire corpus of variant readings recorded by them, without distinction of trivial (e.g. graphic, morphological, syntactical) or significant variants based on subjective criteria. By offering access to the entire corpus of variant readings, the website aims to allow specialized users to carry on new examinations of the text, and to draw their conclusion without being necessarily required to collate the manuscripts again.
Manuscripta Vergiliana is a supplement to the recent critical edition of Virgil’s works, that includes a selection of materials contained in the website.
Manuscripta Vergiliana also explores interesting scribal practices and the development of the Latin language through the early Middle Ages.
With an overview on the history of Virgil’s textual tradition and a glossary of philological, palaeographical, and codicological terms, the website aims at guiding non-specialist users through a first approach to the subject.
The website contains:
an Introduction, collecting useful tools to approach the study of the textual tradition of Virgil’s works from Antiquity to the Renaissance: it contains a thematic bibliography; an annotated list of links to other web resources; a guide to the main critical editions of the text of Virgil;
an overview of the Ancient Sources that explores direct and indirect evidence regarding Virgil’s text, such as codices, papyri, and inscriptions, but also early quotations of the poet, ancient criticism on his works, and Late Antique exegesis;
a section on the Middle Ages and the evolution of the text of Virgil from the institution of the scriptoria to the invention of printing, with a focus on topics such as the elaboration of a peculiar book format for copying Virgil’s works and the contribution of the Humanists to the study of Virgil;
a detailed analysis of the Manuscripts from the IX-XI century (i.e. Carolingian and Beneventan manuscripts), with a general presentation of their history and philological features and individual profile charts.
the Text of Virgil’s works, with critical apparatus including the variant readings contained in the Carolingian and Beneventan manuscripts;
a selection of interlinear and marginal Annotations to the text of Virgil as they are transmitted in the Carolingian and Beneventan manuscripts;
a Glossary of philological, palaeographical, and codicological terms that aims at facilitating non-specialists during their use of the website.
Website users are also allowed to visualize, print, and download the website contents in PDF format.
The Search function (basic or advanced) allows users to search for words in the website, in the text of Virgil, and in the apparatuses.