Photo: Emir O. Filipović
From Smart News blog:
March 12, 2013 1:51 pm
Centuries Ago, a Cat Walked Across This Medieval Manuscript
While pawing through a stack of medieval manuscripts from Dubrovnik, Croatia, University of Sarajevo doctoral student Emir O. Filipović stumbled upon a familiar set of splotches marring the centuries-old pages. Years ago, a mischievous kitty had left her ink-covered prints on the book. Filipović explains the finding:
My story line follows a simple path: I was doing some research in the Dubrovnik State Archives for my PhD, I came across some pages which were stained with cat paw prints, I took a few photos of this (as I do whenever I notice something interesting or unusual on any old book I’m reading), and carried on with my work not paying too much attention to something which at that time could essentially be only a distraction.
Thanks to a frenzy of Twitter and blog coverage, a French historian picked up on the photo and decided to include it in her Interactive Album of Medieval Paleography so that other historians can utilize the unique finding, which gives insight into daily life in 14th century Dubrovnik. Filipović elaborates:
The photo of the cat paw prints represents one such situation which forces the historian to take his eyes from the text for a moment, to pause and to recreate in his mind the incident when a cat, presumably owned by the scribe, pounced first on the ink container and then on the book, branding it for the ensuing centuries. You can almost picture the writer shooing the cat in a panicky fashion while trying to remove it from his desk. Despite his best efforts the damage was already complete and there was nothing else he could have done but turn a new leaf and continue his job. In that way this little episode was ‘archived’ in history.
Filipović hopes the finding may move beyond a simple cat meme and inspire more interest in the medieval Mediterranean.
See also here.
Related articles
- Medieval Cat Paw Prints (neatorama.com)
- Cats Have Been Walking All Over Us for Centuries (gawker.com)
- Fed up with your cat climbing on the keyboard? Amazing photo of medieval manuscript covered in pawprints shows it’s nothing new (dailymail.co.uk)
- Turns Out Cats Have Been Walking on Important Stuff for Basically Forever (cheezburger.com)
- The 15th-Century Equivalent of Your Cat Walking on Your Keyboard (theatlantic.com)
- Medieval cat paw prints (ashleecowles.com)
- A Man and His Cat (mediaevalmusings.wordpress.com)
- EVEN MORE Proof That Cats Have Always Been Out to Get You (cheezburger.com)
who would not smile at this?! how fun! z
LikeLike
Indeed 🙂
LikeLike
Reblogged this on bearspawprint.
LikeLike
Thanks for your reblog!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Here and Now.
LikeLike
so wonderful !! Thank you petrel 🙂 my kitty would be proud of having her delightful prints all over the interent as well 🙂 wow!! kitty hero of medieval times 🙂 loved this 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the reblog and your kind words! Meow 🙂
LikeLike
loving the dear Kitty. some blog name also!! heheh so cute 🙂 and the posts of course !! xo meow 🙂
LikeLike
🙂 🙂 🙂
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
Cats are such amazing beings-they never let us take ourselves too seriously for too long. 😉
LikeLike
Indeed. And thank you for reblogging!
LikeLike
Pingback: Versatile Blogger Award, thanks Tazein and Sue! | Dear Kitty. Some blog
Pingback: Very Inspiring Blogger Award, thanks Shaun! | Dear Kitty. Some blog