Marginal Sketch Of Rome, In Geoffrey Of Monmouth's 'History Of The Kings Of Britain'

Geoffrey Of Monmouth (c.1100-1154) wrote completed his History it in its final form in 1147. Although it purports to be a book of historical fact, it is more a collection of ancient tales and legends, concerning, for example, King Arthur and Merlin. This manuscript has detailed pencil sketches of a number towns added in some of its margins; these are exceptionally early examples of eye-witness 'cityscapes'. Some of them seem to have been executed in two stages: first with faint grey pencil, and later with darker brown 'crayon'. The last lines of the text before the decorated initial concern the founding of Rome by the brothers Romulus and Remus, and the sketch is captioned 'civitatis Romana'.