Δαμασκηνός Στουδίτης / Damaskinos Stouditis - Μερική διάγνωσις ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν φιλοσόφων περί φύσεως καί ἰδιωμάτων τινῶν ζώων Meriki Diagnosis ek - 1666

Description:

Author: Δαμασκηνός Στουδίτης (Damaskinos Studitis, c.1500–1577)
Title (English): Partial Diagnosis from Ancient Philosophers about the Nature and Idioms of Some Animals
Publication: Venice, Andreas Ioulianos, 1666
Format: Unbound with paper covers
Size: 16 cm x 10.5 cm
Pages: 86
Condition: Please see photos — delicate paper, typical age-related wear.

Historical Significance:
This is the first printed edition (editio princeps) of a 16th-century manuscript compiled by Damaskinos Studitis, a prominent Greek cleric and scholar. The work was originally circulated in manuscript form and presented as a gift to Μιχαήλ Καντακουζηνός (Michael Kantakouzenos). It gathers observations from ancient philosophers on the nature, behavior, and “idioms” of terrestrial, aerial, and marine animals.

About the Author:
Damaskinos Studitis was born in Thessaloniki and became a monk in Constantinople, studying under Thomas Eleavulkos Notaras at the Patriarchal Academy. He served as Bishop of Letis and Rentina (1564), Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Arta (1574), and later as Patriarchal Exarch of Aetolia. A respected scholar, he collected and compiled philosophical and natural knowledge, producing works that illuminate post-Byzantine Greek intellectual life.

Collector’s Highlights:

Extremely rare first printed edition of a 16th-century manuscript

Venetian Greek press imprint, 17th century

Scholarly interest for collectors of Greek philosophy, natural history, and Orthodox scholarship