Mediaeval Gallery

Al-Idrisis world map, 1154

Al-Idrisi's world map. This world map, known as the Tabula Rogeriana, dates from 1154, and is orientated with North at bottom. It was drawn by Muhammad Al-Idrisi (1100-1165), an Islamic and Andalusian scholar working for King Roger II of Sicily. It is considered to have been the most accurate world map for the next three centuries. Regions shown include Europe (lower right), the Mediterranean Sea (centre right), North Africa (upper right), the Arabian Peninsula (upper centre), the Black Sea and Caspian Sea (lower centre), and parts of Asia (left). This is a restoration and transliteration carried out in 1927 by the German scholar Konrad Miller (1844-1933)

© LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, GEOGRAPHY AND MAP DIVISION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Goitre, 15th century artwork C018/1849

Goitre. 15th century artwork of a man with an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre). The thyroid is an endocrine gland found in the neck, responsible for the production or hormones controlling the body's metabolism. This condition is usually due to a deficiency in iodine, which is used to produce the hormones. The release of thyroid stimulating hormone (THS), to speed up hormone production, causes the swelling. A large goitre will cause a person's neck to swell and may cause breathing and swallowing difficulties. Photographed in St John the Baptist church, Ribcev Laz, Slovenia

© DR ROB STEPNEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The Zoe panel in the south gallery of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

The "Zoe panel" in the south gallery of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. The mosaic shows Christ enthroned between the Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus and the Empress Zoe. Country of Origin: Turkey. Culture: Byzantine. Date/Period: 11th century. Place of Origin: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Material Size: Mosaic. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive. Location: 04

© Werner Forman Archive / Heritage-Images