Ancient Fauna of Nebraska, 19th Century

Oreodont specimen 

Joseph Leidy (1823 – 1891) was an American paleontologist, professor of anatomy and natural history at University of Pennsylvania and later on the Swarthmore College. Very prolific, wrote several treatises about extinct fauna in North America and was a pioneer on paleontology: named and studied –although discovered by William Parker Foulke- the first complete fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur ever recovered.

Mr. Leidy also announced discoveries on the field of Parasitologism and Protozoologism: In 1846 revealed that trichinosis was caused by a parasite in undercooked meat and published “Fresh-water Rhizopods of North America” in 1879. This codex is a masterpiece, still referenced and studied today around the world.

But probably the most amazing fact on his bio arrived in 1846 as a forensic innovator:  Mr. Leidy became the first person ever to use a microscope to solve a murder mystery, analyzing blood on suspect clothes that finally confessed when Leidy demonstrated the truth.

About the "Ancient Fauna of Nebraska", is a 126 page monograph presenting information on 20 new fossil species, most of these were unique to North America and differed dramatically from known European forms. After a brief introduction of the state of American mammalian paleontology, Leidy presented detailed descriptions and illustrations for a total of 15 mammals and 5 tortoises. Featured among these are an early camel (Poebrotherium wilsoni), an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsonii), two rhinos (Hyracodon nebraskensis and Subhyradocon occidentalis), and a sabertooth (Hoplophoneus primaevus).

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).

Native north american rhino.

Turtle casing

Introduction and description of Bad Lands (Nebraska). See map below.

Astronomy calculations, 16th (?) Century

Original title for this rare codex is "Kitab hisab al-nimar wa huwa fi 'ilm al-nujum", that could be translated into English as "On the calculation of numbers in the science of astronomy". I found this nice example of arabic caligraphy in a collection of ancient manuscripts from the desert libraries of Timbuktu, Mali the legendary city founded as a commercial center in West Africa nine hundred years ago.

The codex explains mathematical calculations and their use in astronomy and astrology, and is a nice example of Arabic script, style developed in Timbuktu and the surrounding regions of Mali and West Africa. As far as I could investigate, manuscripts are digitized and published mainly thanks to Mr. Abdel Kader Haidara, Owner and Director of the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library. A complete catalogue of selected manuscripts from the exhibition is available on the web page, under "publications" directory. Looks like they're continuously working to complete digitized materials and a big work to do: another location in Mali, Jenne (in the Inland Niger Delta region), was like Timbuktu also part of the trans-Saharan trade route and became an important centre of Islamic scholarship, with a huge legacy of recent found islamic ancient books.

This codex, "On the calculation of numbers in the science of astronomy" is part of the Timbuktu Manuscripts family. The collection includes more than 700,000 medieval African documents, ranging from scholarly works to short letters, that have been preserved by private households in Timbuktu. The manuscripts were passed down in Timbuktu families and are mostly in poor condition. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 13th century.

In 2009, the French/German cultural TV channel ARTE produced a feature-length film about Timbuktu's manuscript heritage called (French) "Tombouctou: les manuscrits sauvés des sables" or (German) "Timbuktus verschollenes Erbe: vom Sande verweht". So far it's available online as part1, part2 and part3. Film was directed by Lutz Gregor.