Adelard of Bath

In the 12th century, a large number of European scholars have travelled to the East in order to learn and ultimately bring back with them new scientific knowledge. Translators played the major role. Among those translators is Adelard of Bath whom this study aims to investigate his original works along with the works he translated from Arabic into Latin. The study will follow his travels from his hometown of Bath to France where he studied, and finally to the East where he learned from the Arabs. It will also briefly highlight the situation of education during the so-called Dark Ages in Europe. Moreover, Adelard’s original works before and after travelling are examined in order to see to what extent Adelard was influenced by the Arabs. Adelard’s translated books into English are used as primary resources for this research, in addition to other secondary references. As a result of conducting this research, it can be seen that the thought of Arabs have prevailed in Adelard’s works as he stressed the importance of the methodology followed by them. Adelard has contributed to forming a cusp between the Islamic Civilization and the European Renaissance; and hence further studies need to be carried out about Adelard as well as his endeavors with East.

Tales from the Gap

This chapter takes on the Dark Ages narrative—the prevalent idea that the Western world (at least) was plunged into a thousand years of intellectual sleep by the onset of Christianity. Examples of this storyline are taken from a variety of sources, including Petrarch, Edward Gibbon, Daniel Boorstin, and Carl Sagan. By examining the literature, the Dark Ages are shown not to be so dark after all: the years in between AD 500 and AD 1500 were full of inventive, rational, and scientific thought, much of it given its impetus and support by the Church. As the examples of such creative development mount up, the Dark Ages myth is put under increasing strain, until it buckles entirely. Once again, John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White turn out to have been very significant figures in keeping it going for as long as it has.