Dernière sortie
Walcher of Malvern: De lunationibus and De Dracone
Walcher, the prior of Great Malvern in Worcestershire (d. 1135), is atcher, landmark figure in the history of medieval science whose work brought the-Latin computistical tradition to its apex while foreshadowing the twelfth-century Renaissance in mathematical astronomy. His most famous achievement is the observation of a lunar eclipse in 1092 with the aid of an astrolabe, which is the first of its kind to be recorded in a Latin source.
In spite of his renown, Watcher's writings have never received any close scrutiny and the precise rationale and modalities behind his observations and calculations remain ill-understood. This volume contains the first complete edition of Walcher's two known treatises (Delunationibus and De Dracone), together with an English translation and a detailed commentary. An introductory study will elucidate the background to his scientific pursuits and situate them-in the intellectual and disciplinary context of the late-eleventh and early-twelfth century, when Latin astronomy underwent a transforma-tive period of lasting significance.
In spite of his renown, Watcher's writings have never received any close scrutiny and the precise rationale and modalities behind his observations and calculations remain ill-understood. This volume contains the first complete edition of Walcher's two known treatises (Delunationibus and De Dracone), together with an English translation and a detailed commentary. An introductory study will elucidate the background to his scientific pursuits and situate them-in the intellectual and disciplinary context of the late-eleventh and early-twelfth century, when Latin astronomy underwent a transforma-tive period of lasting significance.
