First Codicological Unit (late 13th-early 14th century, Eastern origin, ff. 1-56)
Dating and Origin. Scholars generally agree that this section of the manuscript was produced in the Eastern Mediterranean, toward the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th. In particular, Pérez Martín hypothesizes a Constantinopolitan origin, suggesting that the section containing Theocritus’ Idylls in Ambr. G 32 sup. may have served as a source for a Theocritean anthology transmitted by another manuscript, Par. gr. 2998 [diktyon 52642], which was copied in Constantinople by Patriarch Gregory II of Cyprus (1241-1290) together with some of his collaborators. The Parisinus codex preserves the so-called “first variant” of Gregory’s hand, allowing its composition to be placed within the third quarter of the 13th century.
If the Ambrosianus was indeed used as a model for Par. gr. 2998, then at least this unit must already have been available by that date. However, the hand of the anonymous scribe who copied the Idylls appears slightly later, and seems better suited to a dating toward the end of the century. It cannot be excluded, though, that the codex – or part of it – was copied one or two decades earlier, and may indeed have served as a source for Patriarch Gregory in compiling a section of his anthology.
Physical Description. This unit of the manuscript consists of seven regular quires, all quaternions, totalling 56 folios, with folio 56v remaining blank. The quires are made of Eastern paper, with an indistinct watermark; the format is quarto (184 × 128 mm). The ruling was executed in dry point, while the pricking is no longer visible, likely trimmed during later rebinding.
The text, written in brown ink, fills the entire page, with the scholia arranged in a frame along the upper, outer, and lower margins, while interlinear glosses in brown and vermilion ink accompany the main text. Detailed measurements of the full writing area are: 2 (24) [87] (55) 16 × 10 [82] (20) 16 mm (surveyed on folio 15r).
Within the manuscript, several traces of foliation survive, belonging to different hands and periods. 1) Greek cardinal numbers are visible at the centre of the lower margin on certain folios, indicating quire numbers. These were written in brown ink, likely by the same hand as the main scribe. The signature δ (4) survives, though partially trimmed, at the centre of the lower margin of f. 24r; it is followed by ε (5) on f. 33r, ϛ (6) on f. 40r and again at the end of the quire on f. 48v, and ζ (7) on f. 49r. 2) Alongside these earlier signatures, lowercase Latin letters in ochre ink appear in the lower outer corner of some folios. These foliation marks, possibly added by Leonzio Pilato during his ownership of the codex in the 14th century, follow an alphabetical progression corresponding to the Greek numerals of the earlier quire system: d (f. 24r), e (f. 33r), f (f. 40r), g (f. 49r). 3) Finally, on f. 1r, also in the lower outer corner, there is an Arabic numeral “4” written in ochre ink. The meaning of this mark is uncertain, but it was probably added after the three units were assembled and is most likely attributable to one of the manuscript’s owners in the 15th century.
The text was copied by a single anonymous scribe, whose hand can be classified within the so-called “Planudean scripts”: individual hands produced in scholarly circles, characteristic of the “Palaiologan Renaissance,” marked by a generally cursive ductus, rounded letter forms, and small dimensions. Traces of the so-called Fettaugen–Mode are also visible in the slight contrast between larger letters (notably beta, gamma, kappa, and omega) and smaller ones – a feature typical of many learned scripts from the late Byzantine period.
The decoration, attributed to the same scribe who copied the text, is simple and penned in vermilion ink. Large initials are simple, while bichrome interlace friezes (in vermilion and brown) introduce Idylls II (f. 8r), III (f. 14r), VI (f. 25r), and VII (f. 27r). Monochrome brown interlace friezes mark the beginnings of Idylls VIII (f. 33r), IX (f. 35r), X (f. 36v), XI (f. 38v), XII (f. 40v), XIII (f. 41v), XIV (f. 43v), XV (f. 46r), XVI (f. 49v), XVII (f. 52r), and XVIII (f. 54v). Simple friezes appear in Idylls IV (f. 16v) and V (f. 19v). The interlinear glosses copied by the anonymous scribe are also written in vermilion ink, as are the Greek numerals referring to the lemmas in the scholia apparatus along the margins.
The binding is a modern restoration, modelled on the original; it features visible wooden boards and a leather spine. The board overhang is prominent, with the upper headcap projecting beyond the spine. On the spine are two modern labels: one at the top, framed in blue, bearing the number “390”; the other, lower down, shows the number “32” penned in black ink.