scholarly journals Ephemerides in high medieval Europe: The textual evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-52
Author(s):  
C. Philipp E. Nothaft
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Mathematical Astronomy ◽  
Medieval Europe

A common aspect of the practice-oriented side of pre- and early modern mathematical astronomy was the computation of ephemerides, that is, tables that displayed the daily positions of the planets in a synoptic and calendrical format. Even though medieval Europe was no exception in this regard, the existence of ephemerides in this period and region has gone largely unnoticed, owing both to terminological difficulties and the low survival rate of actual specimens. What exists in significant numbers, however, are texts describing different approaches to constructing ephemerides and computing their various entries. The article demonstrates this by discussing ten such texts dating from approximately the middle of the 12th century to just after 1300. Taken in its entirety, this hitherto neglected corpus provides conclusive evidence against a view according to which ephemerides entered European astronomical practice only in the 15th century.

THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE RENAISSANCE ITALIAN MILITARY ARCHITECTURE: ALBERTI’S AND FILARETE’S VIEWS CONCERNING CASTELLO SFORZESCO

2020 ◽  
pp. 257-271
Author(s):  
Константин Сергеевич Носов
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Military Architecture ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Defense Systems ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
De Re Aedificatoria ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
The City

В работе рассматриваются взгляды на военное зодчество двух итальянских архитекторов XV в. - Леона Баттисты Альберти и Антонио Аверлино (Филарете). Трактат Альберти «Десять книг о зодчестве» стал первым архитектурным трактатом со времен Витрувия, а Филарете писал свой «Трактат об архитектуре» параллельно с руководством строительными работами в Кастелло Сфорцеско. Проводится сопоставление представленных в этих трактатах теоретических взглядов на военное зодчество с реализацией их на практике на примере строившегося в то же время этого миланского замка. В результате исследования было выявлено, какие рекомендации Альберти и Филарете нашли воплощение на практике, а какие остались лишь в теории. Самым удивительным представляется тот факт, что главная воротная башня Кастелло Сфорцеско, даже получившая название Башня Филарете в честь строившего ее архитектора, не имеет практически ничего общего с описанием ворот как цитадели, так и города Сфорцинды из трактата. Сравнение описаний военного зодчества в трактатах Альберти и Филарете позволило выявить как черты сходства, так и отличия. К чертам сходства автор работы считает возможным отнести общую концепцию планировки города с цитаделью и главной башней внутри и одинаковый концептуальный подход к фортификации - оба архитектора относятся еще к эпохе башенной фортификации, описания бастионов в их работах нет. Различия состоят в подходе к источникам и общем осмыслении системы обороны. Если Альберти в основном следует античной традиции, Филарете опирается на реалии современной ему итальянской фортификации. Однако в трактатах обоих архитекторов есть новаторские идеи, которые начнут широко применяться только в Новое время в так называемой «новой фортификации». У Альберти это гласис, у Филарете - треугольный равелин перед воротами. The work deals with the views on military architecture of two 15th century Italian architects - Leon Battista Alberti and Antonio Averlino (Filarete). Alberti’s treatise “De re aedificatoria” became the first architectural treatise since Vitruvius, while Filarete wrote his “Libro architettonico” while directing the building works in Castello Sforzesco. Theoretical views on military architecture presented in these treatises are compared here with their realization in Milan castle (Castello Sforzesco), erected at the same time. The research reveals which of Alberti’s and Filarete’s recommendations were implemented and which remained only in the realm of theory. The most surprising is the fact that Castello Sforzesco’s main gate tower, named Filarete Tower after the architect who erected it, has nothing in common with either the citadel gate or the city Sforzinda gate described in the treatise. Comparing military architecture described by Alberti and Filarete reveals similarities as well as differences. The general conception of the city - with the citadel and the main tower inside - and identical conceptual approach to fortification can be attributed to similarities in their approaches: both architects belong to the era of tower fortification, their works lack any descriptions of bastions. The differences constitute their approach to sources as well as their general comprehension of defense systems. Whereas Alberti mainly follows ancient tradition, Filarete is guided by realistic contemporary Italian fortification. Both treatises, however, are comprised of new ideas, which will begin to be widely used only in the Early Modern period in the so-called fortificazione alla moderna. They are Alberti’s glacis and Filarete’s triangular ravelin in front of the gate.

scholarly journals Archaeological excavations in St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh, 1981-93

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Collard ◽  
John Lawson ◽  
Nicholas Holmes ◽  
Derek Hall ◽  
George Haggarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Church ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
The South ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
East End ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
The Church

The report describes the results of excavations in 1981, ahead of development within the South Choir Aisle of St Giles' Cathedral, and subsequent archaeological investigations within the kirk in the 1980s and 1990s. Three main phases of activity from the 12th to the mid-16th centuries were identified, with only limited evidence for the post-Reformation period. Fragmentary evidence of earlier structural remains was recorded below extensive landscaping of the natural steep slope, in the form of a substantial clay platform constructed for the 12th-century church. The remains of a substantial ditch in the upper surface of this platform are identified as the boundary ditch of the early ecclesiastical enclosure. A total of 113 in situ burials were excavated; the earliest of these formed part of the external graveyard around the early church. In the late 14th century the church was extended to the south and east over this graveyard, and further burials and structural evidence relating to the development of the kirk until the 16th century were excavated, including evidence for substantive reconstruction of the east end of the church in the mid-15th century. Evidence for medieval slat-bottomed coffins of pine and spruce was recovered, and two iron objects, which may be ferrules from pilgrims' staffs or batons, were found in 13th/14th-century burials.

scholarly journals Early Modern Jewish History

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Ruderman ◽  
Francesca Bregoli
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Panoramic View ◽  
Early Modernity ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Modern Jewish History ◽  
Bibliographical Survey

The term “early modernity” as the name of a period roughly extending from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century has been only recently employed by historians of Jewish culture and society. Despite a plethora of new studies in the last several decades, few attempts have been made to define the period as a whole as a distinct epoch in Jewish history, distinguishable from both the medieval and the modern periods. Some historians have remained indifferent to demarcating the period, have simply designated it as an extension of the Middle Ages, or have labeled it vaguely as a mere transitional stage between medievalism and modernity without properly describing its distinguishing characteristics. A few historians have used the term “Renaissance” to apply to the cultural ambiance of Jews living in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries alone without delineating the larger period and the more comprehensive geographical area. The bibliographical survey that follows focuses on the entire period of three hundred years and attempts to provide a panoramic view of European and Ottoman Jewries both as distinct subcommunities and in their broader connections with each other.

scholarly journals Venetian Trading Firm of the Soranzo Brothers (1406-1434) and Its Commercial Network

2019 ◽  
pp. 229-253
Author(s):  
Maria Ryabova
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Medieval Europe ◽  
Merchant Networks ◽  
Trading Firm ◽  
Commercial Network

This paper contributes to the discussion of merchant networks in late medieval Europe by presenting a case study of the Soranzo fraterna, a Venetian trading firm which comprised brothers Donado, Giacomo (Jacopo), Piero, and Lorenzo Soranzo and operated in the first half of the 15th century, specializing mainly in the import of raw cotton from Syria. The author applies the methodology of so-cial network analysis (SNA) in order to reconstruct the egocentric (ego-centered) network of ties linking the Soranzo firm (“the ego”) with its partners and clients (“alters”).

scholarly journals A primera sang: batalles nupcials en la Catalunya barroca. Els epitalamis al galant Alba de Francesc Fontanella

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Anna Garcia Busquets
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Critical Edition ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Double Reading ◽  
Metaphorical Language ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Baroque Poetry ◽  
Modern Europe ◽  
Catalan Literature

Resum: A l’antiga Grècia i Roma els epitalamis actuaven com a preludi eròtic de la nit nupcial. Claudià, a l’antiguitat tardana, va tractar el motiu del desflorament com a pugna amoris amb lasciu refinament. A partir del Quattrocento italià, l’Europa moderna va reprendre amb profusió aquesta tradició laudatòria d’erotisme estilitzat amb cants consagrats a la unió de les famílies il·lustres. El poeta barroc Francesc Fontanella (1622-1682/83) va compondre quatre magnífics epitalamis dedicats a les noces d’un enigmàtic personatge: el ‘galant Alba’. Diversos estudis han intentat, sense èxit, desvelar-ne la identitat. En aquestes composicions, Fontanella va emprar un llenguatge refinat i metafòric per descriure gradualment els estadis que porten a la unió carnal entesa com a lluita amorosa: els versos, rics en imatges florals i minerals, s’han de reconvertir al seu sentit concret a través d’una doble lectura. L’estudi inclou l’edició crítica dels textos i la contextualització del cicle dins del corpus epitalàmic europeu, així com una argumentació sobre la possible identitat dels protagonistes. Paraules clau: literatura catalana moderna; poesia barroca; epitalami; Francesc Fontanella Abstract: In ancient Greece and Rome, epithalamia acted as an erotic prelude to the wedding night. In Late Antiquity, Claudian explored the theme of deflowering as pugna amoris with lascivious refinement. As of 15th century Italian poets, modern Europe recommenced this laudatory tradition of stylised eroticism with songs devoted to the union of illustrious families. The Baroque poet Francesc Fontanella (1622-1682/3) composed four magnificent epithalamia dedicated to the wedding of an enigmatic character: ‘gallant Alba’, of whom several studies have tried, unsuccessfully, to reveal his identity. In these compositions, Fontanella employed refined, metaphorical language to gradually describe the stages of carnal union understood as a love battle: the verses, rich in floral and mineral imagery, must be transformed into their particular meaning through double reading. The study includes the critical edition of the texts and a contextualisation of the series within the European corpus of epithalamia, as well as an argument on the possible identity of the protagonists. Keywords: Early modern Catalan literature; Baroque poetry; epithalamium; Francesc Fontanella

ʿAdālat al-Ṣaḥāba: The Construction of a Religious Doctrine

Arabica ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 272-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Osman
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Presumption Of Innocence ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
Religious Doctrine ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract This article investigates the development of ʿadālat al-ṣaḥāba, a central doctrine in Sunnī orthodoxy that stresses the integrity of the Prophet Muḥammad’s Companions. The examination of relevant Sunnī works indicates that the doctrine crystalized in the 5th/11th century, by which time the basic tenets of the doctrine had been developed. These include, among other things, the definition of Companions and their essential role in securing the authenticity of Islam. Furthermore, it was around that time that medieval Sunnī scholars developed an epistemological—rather than a historical or theological—basis for the doctrine. Establishing the integrity of the Companions during the Prophet’s lifetime on the presumption of innocence that is further confirmed by textual evidence, they argued that good Muslims must continue to accept that integrity given the lack of conclusive evidence that they lost it at a later time, particularly when they participated in civil wars. I argue that this epistemological ground was furnished by Murğiʾism, as the examination of some Murğiʾī texts demonstrates.1

Monetary Systems

2016 ◽  
pp. 320-341
Author(s):  
Angela Redish
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Bretton Woods ◽  
Paper Money ◽  
Fiat Money ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
Monetary Systems ◽  
Medieval Europe

This chapter presents the evolution of Western monetary systems from the bimetallic standards of medieval Europe through the gold standard and Bretton Woods eras to today’s fiat money regimes. The chapter notes that issues of revenue creation enabled by the monopoly over money issue—through debasement and/or inflation—runs through this history, as does the significance of the credibility of the money issuer. An additional theme in the chapter is the role of changing technology of money issue, from the hammered coins of the medieval period, to the milled coins of the early modern period, through paper money issues to cryptocurrencies.

Tracing Lost Editions of Parisian Printers in the Sixteenth Century: The Case of Jean Bonfons and his Widow Catherine Sergent

The Library ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-342
Author(s):  
Renaud Adam
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Book Production ◽  
Average Loss

Abstract This article examines the lost production of a sixteenth-century Parisian family of printers, the Bonfons. This family, who specialized mainly in medieval vernacular romances, was chosen because the survival rate of their publications is relatively low and the number of lost editions high. Such study goes beyond the strict framework of bibliometry to raise two questions: do bibliographies really reflect what was published at that time? And, as a corollary, do survival rates distort our perception of early-modern book production? Previous research on the Bonfons’s production is complemented by an outstanding source that has never been investigated in this context: the archives of the Commission of the Index of Prohibited Books of Antwerp (printed in 1570). In this light, the number of books printed for or by Jean Bonfons and his widow should be revised to almost 200 editions, with an average loss rate of around 40 per cent.

The Conquests of Peru

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
15Th Century

Between 1472 and 1572, the conquests of Peru were many: by the Inca, who in the 15th century spread from their southern Andean heartland in Cusco to build an empire that stretched from what is now southern Colombia to northern Chile and Argentina; by the Spanish conquistadors under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro, who reached down from Panama in search of the rumored wealth of the kingdom of “Birú” and fatefully encountered the aspirant Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca in November of 1532; by the Spanish crown, which intervened after the revolt of Atahualpa’s brother Manco Inca in 1536 and the rebellion of the conquistadors in the 1540s; and by the Inca’s former subjects, the Spaniards’ Indian allies, and their mestizo sons, who ended independent Inca resistance by helping to capture Atahualpa’s nephew in the Vilcabamba valley in 1572. This essay sketches the century-long arc of those many conquests, which together yielded a historical entity not quite like any other in the early modern world, let alone Americas: a composite Spanish-Indian kingdom whose incredible wealth lay not just in the gold and silver that its mines and burials produced but in the network of subjects and laborers that drew both the Inca and their Habsburg successors on to further conquests than was wise.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document