Mythologia

Natale Conti, Mythologia, 1567-1627 : un laboratoire éditorial


Les Mythologiae libri decem  Les dix livres de la Mythologie ») de l'humaniste Natale Conti, publiés pour la première fois à Venise en 1567, servirent d'ouvrage de référence dans toute l'Europe pendant plus de deux siècles : les étudiants, les artistes, les poètes, les librettistes d'opéra, les médecins, les philosophes et le public lettré de l'Europe des XVIe-XVIIIe siècles y puisèrent une connaissance encyclopédique sur les cultes et les croyances de l'Antiquité.

Ce site présente l’édition numérique de quatre états d'un texte en mutation (Venise 1567, Francfort 1581, Lyon 1612 et Paris 1627) : plus qu'une œuvre, la Mythologie constitue un corpus foisonnant auquel collaborèrent éditeurs, correcteurs, traducteurs et graveurs.

Le projet est en cours de réalisation. Le lecteur peut actuellement découvrir le corpus et le projet éditorial. Il sera prochainement invité à circuler dans les textes par les tables des matières, les relations entre les notices, les mots-clés et la recherche plein-texte.


Natale Conti's Mythologiae libri decem ("The Ten Books of Mythology"), first published in Venice in 1567, served as a reference book throughout Europe for more than two centuries. Students, artists, poets, opera librettists, doctors, philosophers and the literate public of sixteenth- to eighteenth-century Europe drew from them an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cults and beliefs of antiquity.

This site presents the digital edition of four successive states of this changing text: Venice 1567, Frankfurt 1581, Lyon 1612 and Paris 1627.

Readers can currently discover a presentation of the corpus and our editorial principles. They will soon be invited to circulate in the texts through tables of contents, relations between records, keywords and full-text search.



Mythologiae libri decem, Venise, Segno della Fontana, 1567

This original edition of Mythologiae libri decem, dedicated to the French King Charles IX, was first issued in Venice with the printer Comin da Trino, signed with the fountain logo, in 1567 rather than in 1551, as had been believed at one time, which made Conti's the last of 16th century mythographies. The text was reissued by Comin da Trino as early as 1568. The following edition, ... Lire la suite ⇾



Mythologiae libri decem, Francfort, André Wechel, 1581

This expanded edition, the second published by Conti (he probably died in 1582), is dedicated to Giambattista Campeggi, the Bishop of Majorque. The text was proofread by Friedrich Sylburg (in Greek) and ... Lire la suite ⇾



Mythologie c'est à dire explication des Fables, Lyon, Paul Frellon, 1612

This edition of the French translation is the fifth and last of Jean Montyard's lifetime. The translation was first published by Paul Frellon in 1600, 1604, and 1607. It was the beneficiary of a royal publishing priviledge taken out by Montlyard on June 28, 1597 so that “posterity could ... Lire la suite ⇾



Mythologie ou explication des Fables, Paris, Pierre Chevalier et Samuel Thiboust, 1627

To create his new edition, Jean Baudoin took inspiration from the 1612 edition translated by Jean de Montlyard and published with Paul Frellon. Baudoin kept the margin notes which act as titles for the paragraphs, ... Lire la suite ⇾