Article ID: CBB210315522

ʾAbū Saʿīd Al-Siǧzī and the “Structure of the Orbs,” the Earliest Known Work on Hayʾa (2021)

unapi

ʾAbū Saʿīd al-Siǧzī was a prominent fourth/tenth century astronomer and mathematician who was one of the first contributors to the new genre of ʿilm al-hayʾa (science of the configuration). However, little is known about the initial steps taken in the formation of the discipline, or its independence from other astronomical writings and practices. In this paper, I will discuss new findings about Siǧzī’s life to determine details of his biography and a more precise time period for his scientific activities. I then describe, for the first time, a composition in theoretical astronomy from the fourth/tenth century, the “Structure of the orbs” (Tarkīb al-aflāk) by Siǧzī to show its place in the formation of the discipline of ʿilm al-hayʾa, comparing Siǧzī’s book to the earlier work of al-Farġānī on the size of the earth and the number of celestial spheres. I conclude that Siǧzī’s Tarkīb al-aflāk is the earliest known example of a book that contains only topics found in later hayʾa and may be the first appearance of the ninth celestial orb that became standard in the later genre., RésuméʾAbū Saʿīd al-Siǧzī, astronome et mathématicien du ive/xe siècle, fut l'un des premiers auteurs du genre ʿilm al-hayʾa (la science de la configuration); mais on connaît peu la genèse de cette discipline et sa relation aux autres écrits et pratiques en astronomie. Dans cet article, je présente de nouvelles découvertes permettant de préciser la biographie d'al-Siǧzī. Je décris ensuite, pour la première fois, une composition d'astronomie théorique du ive/xe siècle, la « Structure des orbes » (Tarkīb al-aflāk) d'al-Siǧzī, et je montre sa place dans la formation de la discipline ʿilm al-hayʾa en comparant ce livre à l'ouvrage antérieur d'al-Farġānī sur la taille de la Terre et le nombre des sphères célestes. Je conclus que la Tarkīb al-aflāk d'al-Siǧzī est le plus ancien exemple connu d'un livre traitant des sujets abordés plus tard en hayʾa, et qu'il contient peutêtre la première occurrence du neuvième orbe céleste, classique dans les écrits du genre.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB210315522/

Similar Citations

Article Carlo Santini; (2012)
Ancora sul titolo del poema di Germanico (/isis/citation/CBB988810507/)

Book Damien Janos; (2012)
Method, Structure, and Development in al-Fārābī’s Cosmology (/isis/citation/CBB028508118/)

Article Goldstein, Bernard R.; (2012)
Levi ben Gerson on the Principles of Cosmology (/isis/citation/CBB001231656/)

Book Henry Zepeda; (2018)
The First Latin Treatise on Ptolemy's Astronomy: The "Almagesti Minor" (c. 1200) (/isis/citation/CBB830237991/)

Article Martínez, María José; Marco, Francisco J.; (2014)
New Astronomical References in Two Catalonian Late Medieval Documents (/isis/citation/CBB001420211/)

Article Kochhar, Rajesh; (2010)
Rāhu and Ketu in Mythological and Astronomological Contexts (/isis/citation/CBB001024277/)

Book Simek, Rudolf; Chlench, Kathrin; (2006)
Johannes von Gmunden (ca. 1384--1442): Astronom und Mathematiker (/isis/citation/CBB000930151/)

Thesis Anderson, Benjamin W.; (2012)
World Image after World Empire: The Ptolemaic Cosmos in the Early Middle Ages, ca. 700--900 (/isis/citation/CBB001567378/)

Book Obrist, Barbara; (2004)
La cosmologie médiévale: textes et images. Vol. I: Les fondements antiques (/isis/citation/CBB000501945/)

Book Bucciantini, Massimo; Camerota, Michele; Roux, Sophie; (2007)
Mechanics and Cosmology in the Medieval and Early Modern Period (/isis/citation/CBB000950231/)

Article Moulinier-Brogi, Laurence; (2005)
Un médecin et son image au XVIe siècle? Nicolaus Gugler, de Nuremberg (/isis/citation/CBB000831182/)

Authors & Contributors
Mozaffari, S. Mohammad
Garshtein, Niran
Sorokina, Maria
Americo, Maria
Eckart, Andreas
Zepeda, Henry T.
Concepts
Cosmology
Astronomy
Astrology
Science and religion
Roman Empire
Latin language
Time Periods
Medieval
Ancient
16th century
8th century
Early modern
Renaissance
Places
Middle and Near East
Byzantium
Spain
Germany
Europe
India
Institutions
Marāgha Observatory (Iran)
Universität Wien
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment