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bordered by four semi-circles [46]. Three semi-circles display similar
hunting scenes, while the fourth shows a spreading tree. Busts of four male
figures with windswept hair occupy the corners, possibly representing the
four Evangelists, the four winds, or both. The central roundel contains a
representation of Christ portrayed in Hellenistic fashion in front of the chi-
rho monogram, the symbol of Christianity at that time. Figs 1.10 and 1.11
exhibit the general geometric relationship among five items known as a
quincunx in which four are arranged symmetrically around the fifth to
form a cross.
7
This geometric design is the foundation for a wealth of
Roman and early Christian art [47]. In the end, given the pervasiveness of
this schema, Isidore's
rotae
should be considered the result of
appropriation and adaptation, not invention.
Fig. 1.9.
Mosaic calendar floor in the Hammath Tiberias synagogue. [44]
Final Thoughts
This chapter has explored the origins of some of the earliest designs for
medieval information visualizations by focusing on works by Macrobius,
Boëthius, and Isidore of Seville, three authors of late antiquity, whose
manuscripts were revived during the Carolingian Renaissance as part of
cultural and educational reform. It has placed these early visualizations
within a timeline of information visualization and suggested that their
7. Quincunx is a term derived from Latin meaning five-twelfths, the value of a
Roman coin with this fractional value of an
As
, the Roman standard bronze coin,
that often exhibited five dots arranged as a cross.
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