FDC - 500 years of Coryciana

Description

The Coryciana is a significant work of world literature, highly regarded by Latinists and lovers of classical humanities on all five continents. It is a 500-year-old collection of writings, comprising 399 Latin epigrams (meaning poems) to which almost the entire elite of poets of the time contributed. In literary terms, they are considered the ‘first Roman muses’ almanac’ and serve as a valuable source for analysing European humanism.
The Coryciana were published in 1524 in Rome by the Roman cleric and poet Blosio Palladio. He dedicated the Coryciana to his close friend Corycius, which explains the name. The Latin ending ‘-ana’ in a proper name is a classic term for a collection that is directly related to the bearer of the name. Literally translated, Coryciana means ‘the collection of Corycius’.
Janus Corycius, was born in Koerich around 1457 as ‘Jang’. Before this time in Rome,
during his studies, he was known as Johann of Koerich. In Renaissance Rome, he Latinised
his name so that ‘Johann von Koerich’ became ‘Janus Corycius’ in Rome.