The value of a book like the Vienna Dioscurides was determined by the veracity of its illustrations. Eventually, copies became so bad that a movement was initiated to clean up the texts. Periodically, there were renaissances . In the 6th century CE, when this book was made, there was such a renaissance. It represents an attempt to rescue an ancient text.
Illustrations are dependent upon various updatings.
Thus, scientific illustration could only progress as fast as accurate illustrations could be made and consequently, science progressed pari passu with scientific illustration. It was only with mechanized type that this problem of lag-time could be overcome. An edition of De Materia Medica by Dioscurides, prepared for Julia Anicia, daughter of Emperor Anicius Olybrius. The manuscript also has Arabic annotations because it came into the hands of an Arabic owner. The herbal features the pictures and names of various plants, and on this page wild blackberry is described and illustrated.