Euclid's Elements played an important role in the Middle Ages, rivalled in the legacy of Greek science ... perhaps only by Ptolemy's Almagest. For a long time, Euclid's text was represented only by fragments reputed to have originated in a translation by the late Roman philosopher Boethius. And during these early years it is almost certain that its true significance was not appreciated.
But in the twelfth century it was introduced in its complete form along with other remnants of Greek science through the medium of translations from the Arabic. There seem to have been a very small number of independent translations, but the first six books of the Elements became part of the basic curriculum of that time, and copies spread throughout Europe. Many manuscripts from this period are still to be found among collections today. Most are rather drab productions when compared to the fancier manuscripts of that time ...
This 13th-century codex contains a translation from the Arabic commonly ascribed to Adelard of Bath. What's impressive as a matter of book history is the strict columnar layout, the variation in text size, the conscious manipulation of white space, the inviting optics of the drawings. Everything gives the impression of a well-designed modern book, though this particular one is obviously unfinished, since the space left for the illuminated initials (example above) remains empty.
Here is the full list of the digitizations of the past four weeks:
- Patetta.683
- Reg.lat.120
- Reg.lat.128
- Reg.lat.156
- Reg.lat.241
- Reg.lat.924
- Reg.lat.934
- Reg.lat.967
- Reg.lat.978
- Reg.lat.989
- Reg.lat.991, lawbook used at the chancery of the Carolingian court. Rosamond McKitterick argues this codex is one of the corrected masters from which copies of the legal codes were made for the use of officials and clergy in the provinces. With the Lex Ribvaria (B 16, with the best text), Alemanorum, Baiuuariorum and the Epitome Aegidiana (Charlemagne's regulations relating to the Lex Baiuuariorum). See Bibliotheca Legum.
- Reg.lat.1004, a general medical text of the 13th century with Hippocratic and pseudo-Hippocratic writings. From folio 94v, a text beginning: Ad compaginem membrorum ...
- Reg.lat.1006, De Planctu Naturae by Master Alan of Lille
- Reg.lat.1007
- Reg.lat.1009
- Reg.lat.1012,,The last folio is the beginning of the geometrical text De conicis (Cum continuatur inter punctum aliquod et lineam) (12c-13c) by Gerard of Cremona, translated from Apollonius of Perga. This diagram is on the first folio:
- Reg.lat.1017
- Reg.lat.1019
- Reg.lat.1022, the Mistère du Siège d’Orleans
- Reg.lat.1025, Rule of St Benedict begins this handbook of Geoffroy de Vendôme (1093-1132)
- Reg.lat.1033
- Reg.lat.1036, one might term this gorgeous codex a fat-cat lawyer's handbook, where every heading and keyword is illuminated to aid memorization, rather like a hyperlinked text:
- Reg.lat.1037
- Reg.lat.1039
- Reg.lat.1042
- Reg.lat.1043
- Reg.lat.1076
- Reg.lat.1078
- Reg.lat.1137 , Euclid's Elements, above
- Reg.lat.1174
- Reg.lat.1215
- Sbath.642
- Urb.lat.116
- Urb.lat.1091
- Urb.lat.1258
- Urb.lat.1619
- Urb.lat.1646
- Urb.lat.1647
- Urb.lat.1648
- Vat.arm.11
- Vat.lat.277
- Vat.lat.713
- Vat.lat.1380
- Vat.lat.1428
- Vat.lat.1429
- Vat.lat.1456
- Vat.lat.1721
- Vat.lat.1747
- Vat.lat.1850
- Vat.lat.1852
- Vat.lat.1857
- Vat.lat.1867
- Vat.lat.1889
- Vat.lat.1891
- Vat.lat.1901
- Vat.lat.1902
- Vat.lat.1911
- Vat.lat.1913
- Vat.lat.1914
- Vat.lat.1919
- Vat.lat.1920
- Vat.lat.1921
- Vat.lat.1924
- Vat.lat.1928
- Vat.lat.1931
- Vat.lat.1933
- Vat.lat.1966
- Vat.lat.1977
- Vat.lat.1978
No comments :
Post a Comment