Exoticorum libri decem Exoticorum libri decem Exoticorum libri decem ("Ten books of exotic life forms") is an illustrated zoological and botanical compendium in Latin, published at Leiden in 1605 by Charles de l'Écluse. On the title page the author's name appears in its well-known Latin form Carolus Clusius. The full title is: "Exoticorum libri decem, quibus animalium, plantarum, aromatum, aliorumque peregrinorum fructuum historiae describuntur" ("Ten books of exotica: the history and uses of animals, plants, aromatics and other natural products from distant lands"). Clusius was not only an original biologist but also a remarkable linguist. He became well known as a translator and
Greek East and Latin West Greek East and Latin West Greek East" and "Latin West are terms used to distinguish between the two parts of the Greco-Roman world, specifically the eastern regions where Greek was the "lingua franca" (Anatolia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East) and the western parts where Latin filled this role (Central and Western Europe). During the Roman Empire a divide had persisted between Latin- and Greek-speaking areas; this divide was encouraged by administrative changes in the empire's structure between the 3rd and 5th centuries, which led ultimately to the establishment of separate administrations for the Eastern and Western halves of the