Western civilization dates back to Homer, which explains why Martin Bodmer made Homer the prime pillar of his collection. On exhibit are:

• a bust of Homer, the Greek bard
• a Campana relief depicting Ulysses’ return
• a papyrus of cantos 5 and 6 of the Iliad
• a 13^th century Greek manuscript with comments by the Byzantine poet Tzetzes
• the Ilias latina, the medieval Trojan romance; its Venetian version and the editio princeps published in Florence

The legacy of antiquity was transmitted through medieval copyists before being rediscovered in the Quattrocento by Italian Renaissance humanists. On display are some of the symbols of this period of Western intellectual history:

• medieval manuscripts of Latin translations of Aristotle from Arabic
• a Greek copy of Plato in Florence; a Latin translation of Plato’s works by Marsilius Ficinus
• an editio princeps of Aristotle printed by the Venetian Aldus Manutius
• the Paduan incunabulum of Aristotle’s De Anima with commentaries by Averroes
• Petrarch’s copy of Cicero’s rhetorical manuscript
• the incunabulum of Cicero’s On Duties (De Officiis), the first profane work ever to be printed

The great Latin poets Horace, Virgil and Ovid also have a place of honour in the Italian showcase. On display are manuscripts from the 10^th century; documents from the 12^th century that belonged to Montesquieu; and 15^th century manuscripts printed for the royal court of Naples. Other works of art displayed in the centre of the case evoke mythology and pagan gods.