a perspective of continuity. transmission and production ... · introduction historical background...

Introduction Historical Background The first Sicilian School of Translators Conclusions

A perspective of continuity. Transmission andproduction of knowledge at Roger II’s court

Daniele Molinini

25/10/07

Daniele Molinini A perspective of continuity. Transmission and production of knowledge at Roger II’s court


Table of contents

Introduction

Historical BackgroundMediterranean Area in the XIIth centuryA crossroad area and a crossroad kingdomA three-language inscription in Palermo

The first Sicilian School of TranslatorsTwo periodsActors and Translations

ConclusionsConclusions



Transmission of scientific knowledge in the Latin worldduring the XIIth century: three main ”bridges”

• Eastern Empire

• Spain * (mainly Toledo) → Spanish Dogma in the H. of Sc.

• South of Italy * (mainly Palermo and Salerno)

* Most important in the XIIth century. Expecially during the 2nd half.

Our point: focus on the originality and the ”cultural continuity” of the sicilian

mouvement, which begins under the tolerance of the three-language Regnum of

Roger II (1095-1154) and gives birth to the first Sicilian School of Translators

under his son William (1125-1166). Here we have the real basis of the reign of

Frederick II.



A basic chronology• Byzantine Sicily: from 535 to 827 AC (Arab conquest of

Marsala). In 902 Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold,falls to the Arabs.

• Arab Sicily: from 902 to 1060 AC (Messina is conquered bythe Normans Roger I and Robert Guiscard).

• Norman Sicily: from 1091 AC (Conquer of Noto).• 1095: Birth of Roger II.• 1112: Transfer of the center of the Norman power from

Messina to Palermo.• 1130: Roger is crowned in Palermo by Anacletus II.• 1154 - 1166: death of Roger II (1154) and reign of his son

William I (1125-1166).• Reign of William II (1166 - 1189), Tancred (1189 - 1194),

William III (1194)• 1194: Birth of Frederick II.






• Norman Sicily: from 1091 AC (Conquer of Noto).

• 1095: Birth of Roger II.• 1112: Transfer of the center of the Norman power from









• Norman Sicily: from 1091 AC (Conquer of Noto).• 1095: Birth of Roger II.• 1112: Transfer of the center of the Norman power from






Mediterranean Area in the XIIth century



Roger II’s cosmopolitan Sicily: tolerance and exchange

• A 3-language society: arabic, greek, latin (Evidence of this:

3-language royal diplomas, symbols of the royal power, coins,

three-language epigraphs and three-language inscriptions).

• Norman Sicily preserved Arab and Greek elements andwas influenced by them (architectural elements, urbanistic

elements and buildings, customs, administration, way of life, Roger’s

latin curia was a mixture of them.)

• A real crossroad area: Sicily was the ”coeur” of the

Mediterranena Area and had direct commercial, diplomatic but also

informal contacts with the Arab, the Byzantine and the Latin world.

• Interest of Roger for science and culture. Geometers,

astronomers, poets, grammarians, lived in Palermo and had

contacts with the King.



example of this cultural continuity: a three languageinscription in the Norman Palace in Palermo

Figure: Clock commissioned by Roger II himself (1142): ”+ HOCOP(VS) HOROLOGII (...) REX ROGERIVS FECIT, in 1142, thethirtheenth year of his reign”



The first Sicilian School of Translators(1140 to 1166)

1. First Period (under Roger II): production of original worksOutput of some original works such as Nilus Doxopatres’ history of

the five patriarchates (1143), in greek, and the Kitab Rujar of the

geographer Al-Idrisi’s (1154). Those works were written in the

mother-tongue of the authors and the cultural mouvement was very

close to Roger’s court.

2. Second Period (under William I): translations.Output of some important scientific and philosophical translations

from Greek and Arabic into Latin. The translators had grown up in

Roger II’s latin curia and had the opportunity to pick up and absorb

both the arab and the greek intellectual heritage.



Actors and main translationsDate Author Text from ... to ...

a. 1156 Henricus Aristippus Plato’s Phaedo Greek → Latin

a. 1156 Henricus Aristippus Plato’s Meno Greek → Latin

< 1162 Henricus Aristippus Aristotle’s Greek → LatinMetereologica

[4th book]

< 1162 Emir Eugene Ptolemy’s Optics Arabic → Latin

- Emir Eugene fable of Arabic → Greek1

Kalila and Dimna

- Emir Eugene Prophecy of the Greek → LatinErythraean Sibyl

a. 1160 Unknown author Ptolemy’s Almagest Greek → Latin(+ Eugene?)

1Probably a revision of the greek version by Simeon Seth (Haskins 1910, Lejeune1989)



Importants remarks on those translations

• Aristippus’ Translation of Meno and Phaedo from the Greek→Constituted the only medium through which those dialogues wereknown to latin Europe until the new translations of the 15thcentury2.

→ From the Preface to Phaedo: In Siciliy you have the library of

Syracuse [...] you have access to the Mechanics of Hero, the Optics

of Euclid, the Posterior Analytics of Aristotle and other

philosophical works.

• Eugene’s translation of Ptolemy’s Optics from the Arabic3

→ We have this work only through Eugene’s translation.→ In the Preface Eugene illustrates us the difficulty and the methodof his translation.→ He remarks that he had before him two manuscripts, of which heused the more recent as being the more accurate.

2Haskins 19103edited by Gilberto Govi (1885) and Albert Lejeune (1956)




• Unknown Salernitan Scholar’s translation of Almagest fromthe Greek (1160).

→ The manuscript had been brought from Constantinople toPalermo in 1158 by Aristippus, as a present of the Greek EmperorManuel.→ Earliest Latin version of Ptolemy’s Almagest 4

→ Before attacking the translation of Almagest he studied : Data,Optica and Catoprica of Euclid and the De Motu of Proclus.→ The salernitan scholar was helped by Eugene. ”Eugenium, virumtam grece quam arabice lingue peritissimus, latine quoque nonignarus”.

4Gerard produced his version from the Arabic in 1175 and Trapezuntius, fromGreek, in 1451




• Unknown Salernitan Scholar’s translation of Almagest fromthe Greek (1160).→ The manuscript had been brought from Constantinople toPalermo in 1158 by Aristippus, as a present of the Greek EmperorManuel.→ Earliest Latin version of Ptolemy’s Almagest 4

→ Before attacking the translation of Almagest he studied : Data,Optica and Catoprica of Euclid and the De Motu of Proclus.→ The salernitan scholar was helped by Eugene. ”Eugenium, virumtam grece quam arabice lingue peritissimus, latine quoque nonignarus”.

4Gerard produced his version from the Arabic in 1175 and Trapezuntius, fromGreek, in 1451



Main features of the XIIth Sicilian ”bridge” and hisoriginality towards the Spanish Dogma

• Opportunity to have acces not only to arab manuscripts but alsodirectly to greek texts via languages which were still spoken. XIIthNorman Sicily was liee aux deux [langues, Arabe et Grecque] a lafois (Rashed 1993). NO intermediate translation through vernacular(as in Toledo).

• A ”School”: they were linked togheter and aware of their work.• Those translations were made by philologists and were less numerous

than in Spain, but they were made in an original framework.• The translator enterprise was not an ”export-market” and was not

influenced by ”the context of the Cathedral” as in Toledo.• We have evidences of some important scientific and philosophical

texts in 12th sicilian libraries.• There were contacs with the Arab world (NOT broken, like in

Spain) and with Constantinople.• We have the first known latin translation of the Almagest and the

only translation of Ptolemy’s Optics.





• A ”School”: they were linked togheter and aware of their work.

• Those translations were made by philologists and were less numerousthan in Spain, but they were made in an original framework.

• The translator enterprise was not an ”export-market” and was notinfluenced by ”the context of the Cathedral” as in Toledo.

• We have evidences of some important scientific and philosophicaltexts in 12th sicilian libraries.

• There were contacs with the Arab world (NOT broken, like inSpain) and with Constantinople.

• We have the first known latin translation of the Almagest and theonly translation of Ptolemy’s Optics.






than in Spain, but they were made in an original framework.

• The translator enterprise was not an ”export-market” and was notinfluenced by ”the context of the Cathedral” as in Toledo.










influenced by ”the context of the Cathedral” as in Toledo.











texts in 12th sicilian libraries.











Spain) and with Constantinople.










Spain) and with Constantinople.• We have the first known latin translation of the Almagest and the

only translation of Ptolemy’s Optics.Daniele Molinini A perspective of continuity. Transmission and production of knowledge at Roger II’s court


Conclusions, perspectives, problems

• The role of this mouvement in the History of Science.

• New studies on those translations, comparative studies,studies on the relationships between the translators and thecourt and new studies in order to define the corpus of XIIthSicilian libraries. Role of Mozarabs and Jewish Communities.

• Driving force behind this mouvement? No request byintellectual centers and no utilitarian aims. A suggestion:vision of byzantine power + easy access to sources +”language loss” under William I.

• A perspective of continuity: not only compared to the pastbut also a new perspective so as to ”read” and understand theintellectual mouvement under Frederick II and the SecondGeneration of Translators.


a perspective of continuity. transmission and production ... · introduction historical background...

Documents