Pedanius Dioscorides

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In Limbo (Inferno IV), alongside the great poets and thinkers of antiquity, Dante mentions Dioscorides of Cilicia, describing him as a "gatherer" ("accoglitor") of the medicinal qualities of herbs. The name appears in tercet 140-141, although critical notes point out that, given his subject matter, the physician and botanist Dioscorides would be more consistent with the group of scientists and physicians named in the subsequent lines 142-144. His presence in the survey is nonetheless linked, according to the current interpretation, to the tradition that portrays him as a gatherer and arranger of the virtues of plants, a quality recognized by medieval culture.