Nordic mythology from 13th century Iceland contains descriptions that provide traditional depictions of the night sky, constellations, and the Moon. These were not only incorporated within the mythology but also formed the basis for their gods
Ancient Skies of Northern Europe: Stars, Constellations, and the Moon in Nordic Mythology
March 5, 2012 By
Could Vikings have navigated under foggy and cloudy conditions by skylight polarization?
February 26, 2012 By
There is archaeological evidence that the Vikings did not possess magnetic compass, and they navigated on the open sea with the help of a sundial composed of a wooden disc with a perpendicular gnomon in its centre.
Magic
January 16, 2012 By
No one knew the risks and rewards of magic better than Agrippa. His notorious handbook, De occulta philosophia, circulated in manuscript by 1510, though it was printed only in 1533, over the complaints of Dominican inquisitors.
The Planetary Portent of 1524 in China and Europe
December 19, 2011 By
Events of 1524 in China and Europe in response to the planetary phenomenon offer insights into the divergent Chinese and Western responses to such “millennial” events.
Gregory of Tours, Monastic Timekeeping, and Early Christian Attitudes to Astronomy
December 11, 2011 By
If there was little scientific progress in the early Middle Ages, a rudimentary scientific activity was nonetheless essential to that later quest for learning.
Astronomy and Compotus at Oxford University in the Early Thirteenth Century: The Works of Robert Grosseteste
August 29, 2011 By
Astronomy and Compotus at Oxford University in the Early Thirteenth Century: The Works of Robert Grosseteste Dowd, Matthew F. PhD Philosophy Thesis, University of Notre Dame, June (2003) Abstract This dissertation examines two works of Robert Grosseteste (c. 1169-1253), his astronomical textbook, the De spera, and his computistical work, the Compotus correctorius. Through the use […]
Nasir al-Din Tusi and His Socio-Political Role in the Thirteenth Century
April 20, 2011 By
Nasir al-Din Tusi and His Socio-Political Role in the Thirteenth Century By Abbas Ali Shameli Message of Thaqalayn: A Quarterly Journal of Islamic Studies, Vol.11:2 (2010) Introduction: In the history of human civilization as a whole and in that of Islamic civilization in particular, there have been outstanding figures who played decisive roles in forming […]
Byzantine Astronomy from A.D. 1300
April 13, 2011 By
Byzantine Astronomy from A.D. 1300 By Emmanuel A. Paschos Paper given at the Ringberg Euroconference on New Trends in Neutrino Physics, Tegernsee, Germany, 24 – 29 May 1998 Abstract: A Byzantine article from the 13th century contains advanced astronomical ideas and pre-Copernican diagrams. The models are geocentric but contain improvements on the trajectories of the […]
The reception of Copernicus as reflected in biographies
March 22, 2011 By
The reception of Copernicus as reflected in biographies Kühne, Andreas Proceedings of the 2nd ICESHS (Kraków, Poland, September 6–9, 2006) Abstract Problems of the early modern Copernicus biographies The biographer of a person who was living in the 19th or 20th century is usually confronted with an abundance of material that he has to choose, sort […]
The Irish Astronomical Tract: A Case Study of Scientific Terminology in 14th Century Irish
March 4, 2010 By
The extent of astronomical knowledge in medieval Ireland is given specific attention with a review of scholarly works in Latin since the seventh century.
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