Showing papers in "Aestimatio : Critical Reviews in the History of Science in 2018"

On Simplicius’ Life and Works: A Response to Hadot

Abstract: As its title ‘Le néoplatonicien Simplicius à la lumière des recherches contemporaines. Un bilan critique’ suggests, the book recently published by Ilsetraut Hadot is a critical overview of scholarly research on the Neoplatonist Simplicius.1 It focuses on Simplicius’ biography [13–134] and on a selection of his commentaries, namely, his commentaries on Epictetus’ Encheiridion [148–181] and on Aristotle’s On the Soul [182–228], Categories [228–266], and lost works [267–283]. It therefore puts aside Simplicius’ commentaries on Aristotle’s Physics and On the Heavens. No proper explanation is given for this omission but it is reasonable to assume that selection is related here to Ilsetraut Hadot’s own research. Hadot is the first scholar after World War II to engage extensively with Simplicius, providing among several related contributions:

Venus seen on the sun : the first observation of a transit of Venus

Abstract: Preface Introduction Chapter 1 The Occasion, Utility, and Excellence of this Observation Chapter 2 The Manner and History of my Observation Chapter 3 What Others Observed or Could Have Observed of this Conjunction Chapter 4 It is Proved that the Spot Observed by Us Was Really Venus Herself Chapter 5 An Investigation of the Apparent Longitude and Latitude of Venus from the Center of the Sun Chapter 6 Change of the Apparent Place of Venus into the True Chapter 7 An Inquiry into the Time and Place of the True Conjunction of the Sun and Venus Chapter 8 Demonstration of the Node of Venus Chapter 9 The Beginning, Middle, End, and Magnitude of This Transit Chapter 10 A Consideration of the Calculations of Astronomers on the Foregoing Chapter 11 The Calculations of Copernicus Chapter 12 The Calculation of Lansberge Chapter 13 The Calculation of Longomont Chapter 14 The Calculation of Kepler Chapter 15 Corrections of the Rudolphine Numbers Chapter 16 On the diameter of Venus Chapter 17 On the Diameters of the Rest of the Planets, the Proportion of the Celestial Spheres, and the Parallax of the Sun Chapter 18 The Planets are Dark Bodies

Conformément aux observations d'Hipparque : le Papyrus Fouad inv. 267A

Abstract: Le Papyrus Fouad inv. 267 A est un document d'une importance exceptionnelle pour l'histoire de l'astronomie ancienne. Il s'agit d'un fragment de traite redige a Alexandrie vers 130 apres Jesus-Christ. La partie conservee, qui occupe le recto et le verso d'un seul folio, concerne le Soleil dont la longitude est calculee en fonction de trois differentes annees: l'annee siderale, l'annee "moyenne" de 365 jours 1/4 et l'annee tropique. Le texte donne un exemple pris le 9 novembre 130 p. C. a 3h depuis minuit. L'auteur se refere aux observations d'Hipparche dont il mentionne une observation faite au solstice d'ete en 158 avant Jesus-Christ. Le present volume donne une description detaillee du papyrus, une edition diplomatique et une edition normalisee par Jean-Luc Fournet, ainsi qu'une traduction suivie de notes paleographiques et explicatives par Jean-Luc Fournet et Anne Tihon. Le commentaire par Anne Tihon suit le texte pas a pas et est accompagnee d'un glossaire et de photos en couleur. Une annexe par Raymond Mercier donne une reconstruction des tables et une breve analyse mathematique. The Papyrus Fouad inv. 267 A is a document of exceptional importance for the History of Ancient Astronomy. It consists of a fragment of a treatise written in Alexandria around 130 AD. The preserved part, which occupies the recto and verso of a single folio, deals with the Sun, the longitude of which being calculated according three different years: sideral year, "mean year" of 365d 1/4 and tropical year. The text gives an example for November 9th 130 AD at 3h from midnight. The author refers to Hipparchus' observations, and quotes an observation made at the Summer solstice in 158 BC. The present book gives a detailed description of the papyrus, a diplomatic and a normalized edition by Jean-Luc Fournet, as well as a translation followed by paleographical and explanatory notes by Jean-Luc Fournet and Anne Tihon. The commentary by Anne Tihon follows the text step by step and is accompanied by a glossary and coloured photos. An annexe by Raymond Mercier gives a reconstruction of the tables and a short mathematical analysis.

Before Copernicus and Copernicus

Abstract: Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473, enrolled as a student of liberal arts at the University of Cracow in 1491, which he left without a degree in 1495. In 1496, he moved to the University of Bologna to study canon and civil law. In 1500, he briefly visited Rome and then returned to his native Warmia. Shortly after that, in 1501, he returned to Italy, this time to the University of Padua, where he was supposed to study medicine. He was awarded a doctorate in canon law from the University of Ferrara in 1503. Upon returning home, he started working as his uncle’s physician and subsequently also as a church administrator. Sometime around 1510 (before 1514 and possibly as early as 1508), he drafted his earliest attempt at a heliocentric, geokinetic astronomy and cosmology in a text later known asDe hypothesibus motuum caelestium a se constitutis commentariolus and referred to in short as the Commentariolus. This text presumably circulated among his friends but was not published during his lifetime. His next astronomical text was the very short (semi-) private Letter to Werner. Having been persuaded by Rheti-