Papers by Ivana Dobcheva
For a long time Byzantine history works had been regarded as important but in the same time disto... more For a long time Byzantine history works had been regarded as important but in the same time distorting source of information about Byzantine history. Recently, however, Byzantinists have embraced the idea to use modern literary theory in the analysis of texts, including histories, and thus, examine them as literary pieces and extent evidences for the textual production of the milieu. In this regard the current paper embarks on to analyze the History of Leo the Deacon – a tenth century work, describing the reigns of Emperor Nicephoros II Phokas (r. 963-969) and John Tzimiskes (r. 869-976) – from a literary and narratological perspective.
Talks by Ivana Dobcheva
Stars always had the power to fascinate mankind. From the antiquity onwards the curiosity about t... more Stars always had the power to fascinate mankind. From the antiquity onwards the curiosity about the heavens made artists produce drawings, poets compose poems and astronomers engage in scientific debates. That the Early Middle Ages were no exception can easily be seen from the number of written records found in epistolary discourses, annals or school manuals, which attest to the interest paid to celestial phenomena. With the loss of Ptolemy’s star catalogue in the West, the only available text for “reading” the stars were the Aratea catalogues some of which were direct translations, while other were derivative texts from a Hellenistic didactic poem of Aratus. Although Aratus’ qualitative description of the constellations was severely criticised for inaccuracies already in antiquity, it remained a very popular text throughout the Middle Ages. Not surprisingly the manuscript transmission of the different Aratea versions from the eighth to the twelfth century encompasses over sixty manuscripts. More than a half of them can be also classified as computistical, due to the presence of computistical texts in the contents. Does this, however, mean that computistae were avid stargazers, romantic by nature, or simply that they were following the established canon of texts suitable for a computistical compendium?
In order to answer this question I shall quickly present you with the main characteristics of the Aratea star catalogues and evaluate its usefulness as a guide for actual observation. Second, I shall review the recorded interest in observation and its practical application. More particularly I will investigate whether stellar astronomy was taught in school, and if so how. Lastly I will concentrate on later tenth and eleventh century material on stellar astronomy presented in a few manuscripts.
As it is the case with most printed texts, the edition of Cicero’s astronomical poem the Aratea o... more As it is the case with most printed texts, the edition of Cicero’s astronomical poem the Aratea offers absolutely no information for the way the text was read or about the context of its transmission during the Middle Ages. A quick look at the manuscripts from the Early Middle Ages points out that the text was affiliated with other excerpts on astronomy. An immediate conclusion, however, about the level of importance of Cicero in early medieval astronomy could be ill-grounded, if one does not take into consideration the way how layers of information were encoded on the folios under the form of text, scholia and image. For illustrating this competition for visual supremacy I will examine the layouts of three manuscripts of the text, which present interesting example of how the design of page layouts was influenced by the Late Antique tradition and by the new reading habits of medieval scribes.
Thanks to Arno Borst’s exhaustive studies and edition of computus texts we understand now the gra... more Thanks to Arno Borst’s exhaustive studies and edition of computus texts we understand now the grand picture of how computus developed and how different “editions” of computus manuals were composed often under the direct auspice of the royal court. When one looks, however, at the manuscripts of these computus collections, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to find two identical manuscripts of one and the same text. As computus manuscripts are in essence compilations of separate short sections (anonymous excerpts, computus argumenta and lectiones, tables and diagrams), their material was the subject of constant reformulations, additions and exclusions. This characteristic has paradoxically led scholars examining such compendia to devote little or no attention to the idiosyncrasies of different manuscripts simply referred to as ‘computus’ and instead to focus on a particular text analysing it often out of its immediate context – the manuscript itself.
The aim of this talk is to examine such computus collections as structurally defined entities encompassing a wide range of minor themes and subjects presented as supplementary to the study of computus. I thus fully endorse the assessment of computus collections as general books of references intended to educate the readers not only in computus, but also in basic natural philosophy. It has been some decades since Faith Wallis defined computus compendia as ‘a sort of filing cabinet for the scattered fragments of ancient scientific erudition’ . Following this principle my analysis will be centred on a group of closely related computus manuscripts containing ‘auxiliary’ astronomical texts that cover a material much broader than the calculation and the establishment of a calendar required. By looking inside the diverse cabinets of computus manuscripts and examining their content my objective will be to trace the principle guiding their composition and the knowledge which medieval scholars intended to transmit.
My talk will be divided in two parts. In the first one I would like to discuss several documents attesting to the historical context of the establishment of computus as a school discipline throughout Charlemagne’s empire. The examination of the evidences will reveal the officially announced program and the concept of general education that was introduced with it. The analysis of some of the extant computus manuals, their content and structure will allow an insight into the process of the organisation of knowledge. As Edward Grant has explained, of great importance for the development of natural science is "the construction of a comprehensive, intelligible system of the world, one that would permit scholars to explain in satisfactory terms a universe that would otherwise be unintelligible”. The best evidence for this development in my opinion is the “construction” of the discipline and its manuals which, when examined within a socio-cultural context, would explain the governing principle and the intended function of the whole process.
In the second part of my talk I will pay more attention to the tradition of early medieval computus manuals concentrating on the differences in their presenting information and especially information that touched upon topics outside the computus proper. Most of the computus texts were brief collection and as a result were bind with other works, a phenomenon that has already been examined by Borst in connection to the calendar and its “Lange Rahmentexte” which accompanied it in manuscripts. The anonymous character of these collections, however, made them susceptive for constant reformulation presenting them with specific features which will be the focus of my study here. I will look at three aspects of the transmission of knowledge in these books, namely 1) the level and character of information; 2) the choice of encoding knowledge evident by the selected genre and style; and 3) the formal rendering of the information on the folio manifested in the presence or absence of table of content, the hierarchy of script, and the diagrammatic material and illustrations. By examining these features I hope to shed some light at the way these manuals were used to transmit knowledge, who were their intended recipients and how were they to access this information.
The astronomical poem Phaenomena of Aratus of Soli, written around 270 BC, had quiet an extraordi... more The astronomical poem Phaenomena of Aratus of Soli, written around 270 BC, had quiet an extraordinary popularity. In this paper I shall examine one part of the Aratean traditionThe astronomical poem Phaenomena of Aratus of Soli, written around 270 BC, had quiet an extraordinary popularity. In this paper I shall examine one part of the Aratean tradition in the Middle Ages, that of the pre-Carolingian translation of the Phaenomena and some of the various texts which derived from it. It is my belief that the relationship between the textual and visual representation of the constellations corresponds closely with the purpose of the manuscripts where these representations are found. This paper will try to explain this phenomenon by examining how these texts were influenced by their immediate context (i.e. the content of the manuscripts) and their scholarly context (i.e. the people responsible for their production). in the Middle Ages, that of the pre-Carolingian translation of the Phaenomena and some of the various texts which derived from it. It is my belief that the relationship between the textual and visual representation of the constellations corresponds closely with the purpose of the manuscripts where these representations are found. This paper will try to explain this phenomenon by examining how these texts were influenced by their immediate context (i.e. the content of the manuscripts) and their scholarly context (i.e. the people responsible for their production).
Book Reviews by Ivana Dobcheva
Teaching Documents by Ivana Dobcheva
The project Aratea Digital offers an online catalogue of the manuscripts of the different Latin v... more The project Aratea Digital offers an online catalogue of the manuscripts of the different Latin versions of the Aratus' Phaenomena. The final aim of this work (still in progress) is to analyse the gathered data and come to conclusion about the intellectual context of the Aratea transmission. All data is collected in xml TEI conform files, which will enable the user to make different queries and visualise the data in a read friendly manner.
The project is part of my PhD research on the transmission and reception of the Aratea in the Latin West during the Early Middle Ages.
Editorial Activity by Ivana Dobcheva
Fragmentology 2, 2019
Volume 2 Fragmentology is an online, open-access journal dedicated to the study of manuscript fra... more Volume 2 Fragmentology is an online, open-access journal dedicated to the study of manuscript fragments, with a focus on the latin script tradition.
The reference version is kept at: http://fragmentology.ms
incollections by Ivana Dobcheva
articles by Ivana Dobcheva
inproceedings by Ivana Dobcheva
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Papers by Ivana Dobcheva
Talks by Ivana Dobcheva
In order to answer this question I shall quickly present you with the main characteristics of the Aratea star catalogues and evaluate its usefulness as a guide for actual observation. Second, I shall review the recorded interest in observation and its practical application. More particularly I will investigate whether stellar astronomy was taught in school, and if so how. Lastly I will concentrate on later tenth and eleventh century material on stellar astronomy presented in a few manuscripts.
The aim of this talk is to examine such computus collections as structurally defined entities encompassing a wide range of minor themes and subjects presented as supplementary to the study of computus. I thus fully endorse the assessment of computus collections as general books of references intended to educate the readers not only in computus, but also in basic natural philosophy. It has been some decades since Faith Wallis defined computus compendia as ‘a sort of filing cabinet for the scattered fragments of ancient scientific erudition’ . Following this principle my analysis will be centred on a group of closely related computus manuscripts containing ‘auxiliary’ astronomical texts that cover a material much broader than the calculation and the establishment of a calendar required. By looking inside the diverse cabinets of computus manuscripts and examining their content my objective will be to trace the principle guiding their composition and the knowledge which medieval scholars intended to transmit.
My talk will be divided in two parts. In the first one I would like to discuss several documents attesting to the historical context of the establishment of computus as a school discipline throughout Charlemagne’s empire. The examination of the evidences will reveal the officially announced program and the concept of general education that was introduced with it. The analysis of some of the extant computus manuals, their content and structure will allow an insight into the process of the organisation of knowledge. As Edward Grant has explained, of great importance for the development of natural science is "the construction of a comprehensive, intelligible system of the world, one that would permit scholars to explain in satisfactory terms a universe that would otherwise be unintelligible”. The best evidence for this development in my opinion is the “construction” of the discipline and its manuals which, when examined within a socio-cultural context, would explain the governing principle and the intended function of the whole process.
In the second part of my talk I will pay more attention to the tradition of early medieval computus manuals concentrating on the differences in their presenting information and especially information that touched upon topics outside the computus proper. Most of the computus texts were brief collection and as a result were bind with other works, a phenomenon that has already been examined by Borst in connection to the calendar and its “Lange Rahmentexte” which accompanied it in manuscripts. The anonymous character of these collections, however, made them susceptive for constant reformulation presenting them with specific features which will be the focus of my study here. I will look at three aspects of the transmission of knowledge in these books, namely 1) the level and character of information; 2) the choice of encoding knowledge evident by the selected genre and style; and 3) the formal rendering of the information on the folio manifested in the presence or absence of table of content, the hierarchy of script, and the diagrammatic material and illustrations. By examining these features I hope to shed some light at the way these manuals were used to transmit knowledge, who were their intended recipients and how were they to access this information.
Book Reviews by Ivana Dobcheva
Teaching Documents by Ivana Dobcheva
The project is part of my PhD research on the transmission and reception of the Aratea in the Latin West during the Early Middle Ages.
Editorial Activity by Ivana Dobcheva
The reference version is kept at: http://fragmentology.ms
incollections by Ivana Dobcheva
articles by Ivana Dobcheva
inproceedings by Ivana Dobcheva
In order to answer this question I shall quickly present you with the main characteristics of the Aratea star catalogues and evaluate its usefulness as a guide for actual observation. Second, I shall review the recorded interest in observation and its practical application. More particularly I will investigate whether stellar astronomy was taught in school, and if so how. Lastly I will concentrate on later tenth and eleventh century material on stellar astronomy presented in a few manuscripts.
The aim of this talk is to examine such computus collections as structurally defined entities encompassing a wide range of minor themes and subjects presented as supplementary to the study of computus. I thus fully endorse the assessment of computus collections as general books of references intended to educate the readers not only in computus, but also in basic natural philosophy. It has been some decades since Faith Wallis defined computus compendia as ‘a sort of filing cabinet for the scattered fragments of ancient scientific erudition’ . Following this principle my analysis will be centred on a group of closely related computus manuscripts containing ‘auxiliary’ astronomical texts that cover a material much broader than the calculation and the establishment of a calendar required. By looking inside the diverse cabinets of computus manuscripts and examining their content my objective will be to trace the principle guiding their composition and the knowledge which medieval scholars intended to transmit.
My talk will be divided in two parts. In the first one I would like to discuss several documents attesting to the historical context of the establishment of computus as a school discipline throughout Charlemagne’s empire. The examination of the evidences will reveal the officially announced program and the concept of general education that was introduced with it. The analysis of some of the extant computus manuals, their content and structure will allow an insight into the process of the organisation of knowledge. As Edward Grant has explained, of great importance for the development of natural science is "the construction of a comprehensive, intelligible system of the world, one that would permit scholars to explain in satisfactory terms a universe that would otherwise be unintelligible”. The best evidence for this development in my opinion is the “construction” of the discipline and its manuals which, when examined within a socio-cultural context, would explain the governing principle and the intended function of the whole process.
In the second part of my talk I will pay more attention to the tradition of early medieval computus manuals concentrating on the differences in their presenting information and especially information that touched upon topics outside the computus proper. Most of the computus texts were brief collection and as a result were bind with other works, a phenomenon that has already been examined by Borst in connection to the calendar and its “Lange Rahmentexte” which accompanied it in manuscripts. The anonymous character of these collections, however, made them susceptive for constant reformulation presenting them with specific features which will be the focus of my study here. I will look at three aspects of the transmission of knowledge in these books, namely 1) the level and character of information; 2) the choice of encoding knowledge evident by the selected genre and style; and 3) the formal rendering of the information on the folio manifested in the presence or absence of table of content, the hierarchy of script, and the diagrammatic material and illustrations. By examining these features I hope to shed some light at the way these manuals were used to transmit knowledge, who were their intended recipients and how were they to access this information.
The project is part of my PhD research on the transmission and reception of the Aratea in the Latin West during the Early Middle Ages.
The reference version is kept at: http://fragmentology.ms