In 751 an Arab general defeated a Chinese army near the River Talas, in the Kazakhstan. Among the many prisoners taken on that occasion there were some knowledge of a secret that had long been kept by the Empire of the Dragon. Brought to Samarkand they were persuaded, or forced, to put this ability in the service of the winners. So it was that in Samarkand began the first production of paper in the Islamic world, who escaped the Chinese kept the secret for about seven centuries. Like many other inventions
card also comes from China. The Chinese, however, were not the only ones to discover this secret.
seems that already in the first millennium BC, a form of paper was manufactured and used in Mexico from what is considered the most mysterious of pre-Columbian civilization, the Olmec. The Olmecs developed many of the items taken later by the Maya and Aztec cultures, reaching high levels of education, before suddenly disappearing into thin air. Among their findings, there was also the manufacture of paper. Boiling the inner bark of certain plants was obtained a pulp which was used to produce a paper which was called "amatl" and that the English conquistadors called it "love."
In Europe, however, the card came through the Muslim world.
The paper began to reach Europe from North Africa and from Syria in the twelfth century was really poor quality and the Emperor Frederick II forbade it to be used for public documents, ordering that they were drawn up on the most expensive and durable parchment, made from the skins of sheep, goat or beef. In 1268 he went to Fabriano, however, the first European production of paper, which improves the quality they allowed a very rapid spread across Europe.
Returning to the Chinese, it is believed that they were invented, in addition to the notes, even playing cards. As for paper, however, were the Arabs to their introduction in Europe.
Playing cards came to Italy from Egypt in the second half of the fourteenth century. The deck consisted of 52 carte divise in quattro semi: bastoni da polo, denari, spade e coppe. Ogni seme conteneva dieci carte, da 1 a 10, e tre “carte di corte” chiamate “re”, “deputato” e “sotto-deputato”. Per la proibizione religiosa di ritrarre figure umane non vi erano però disegni, ma figure astratte.
Gli Europei ci misero del loro inventando le figure (re, regina, cavallo e fante). E svilupparono anche i Tarocchi.
Il più antico mazzo di tarocchi conosciuto fu realizzato tra il 1442 e il 1447 per Filippo Maria Visconti, Duca di Milano (ma i suoi domini comprendevano anche il Novarese). I Tarocchi furono illustrati da Michelino da Besozzo, uno dei maggiori members of the International Gothic style in Italy. In addition to the 22 Major Arcana cards include normal or "triumph". Curiously, some other figures also appear in the decks then later disappeared, as the "girl" and the "lady on horseback."
card also comes from China. The Chinese, however, were not the only ones to discover this secret.
seems that already in the first millennium BC, a form of paper was manufactured and used in Mexico from what is considered the most mysterious of pre-Columbian civilization, the Olmec. The Olmecs developed many of the items taken later by the Maya and Aztec cultures, reaching high levels of education, before suddenly disappearing into thin air. Among their findings, there was also the manufacture of paper. Boiling the inner bark of certain plants was obtained a pulp which was used to produce a paper which was called "amatl" and that the English conquistadors called it "love."
In Europe, however, the card came through the Muslim world.
The paper began to reach Europe from North Africa and from Syria in the twelfth century was really poor quality and the Emperor Frederick II forbade it to be used for public documents, ordering that they were drawn up on the most expensive and durable parchment, made from the skins of sheep, goat or beef. In 1268 he went to Fabriano, however, the first European production of paper, which improves the quality they allowed a very rapid spread across Europe.
Returning to the Chinese, it is believed that they were invented, in addition to the notes, even playing cards. As for paper, however, were the Arabs to their introduction in Europe.
Playing cards came to Italy from Egypt in the second half of the fourteenth century. The deck consisted of 52 carte divise in quattro semi: bastoni da polo, denari, spade e coppe. Ogni seme conteneva dieci carte, da 1 a 10, e tre “carte di corte” chiamate “re”, “deputato” e “sotto-deputato”. Per la proibizione religiosa di ritrarre figure umane non vi erano però disegni, ma figure astratte.
Gli Europei ci misero del loro inventando le figure (re, regina, cavallo e fante). E svilupparono anche i Tarocchi.
Il più antico mazzo di tarocchi conosciuto fu realizzato tra il 1442 e il 1447 per Filippo Maria Visconti, Duca di Milano (ma i suoi domini comprendevano anche il Novarese). I Tarocchi furono illustrati da Michelino da Besozzo, uno dei maggiori members of the International Gothic style in Italy. In addition to the 22 Major Arcana cards include normal or "triumph". Curiously, some other figures also appear in the decks then later disappeared, as the "girl" and the "lady on horseback."
Photo courtesy of Martha Rizzato
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