A giraffe from a 1501 German book. (Not the book talked about here)

 

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Unknown: (11th century) A Copy of Timothy of Gaza's:

On Quadruped Animals. Constantinople
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Taken from : On animals: Timotheus (of Gaza.), Friedrich Simon Bodenheimer

Timothy of Gaza (book not extant) mentions giraffes and an elephant being given to Emperor Anastasios I (in 496), and an author of a paraphrase of this text, writing apparently in the 11th century adds:

Chapter 24 On the Giraffe

1 That the giraffe is an Indian animal; and it is born from the intercourse of different animals.

2 That a man dealing in Indian products and hailing from Aila (Haifa) passed through Gaza, bringing two giraffes and an elephant to the Emperor Anastasius (1). This was seen in our times too : for also to the emperor (Constantine) Monomachos (2) were these two animals brought from India, and were at each opportunity shown to the people as a marvel, in the theater of Constantinople.

(1) Emperor Anastasius: Anastasius I Dicorus was Eastern Roman emperor from 491 to 518.

(2) emperor (Constantine) Monomachos: (c.1000 – 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055.