An Astrological Handbook from the Reign of Manuel I Komnenos

Abstract

Attached to the horoscope of John Synadinos, dated 5 February 1153, and its interpretation is a collection of astrological excerpts possibly put together to provide the client with specific details about astrological enquiries. The whole forms a rudimentary manual of astrology, which, in many respects, represents scientific trends of the mid-12th century. Not only does it integrate Arabic material, it is also in keep with the astrological fervour that seized many in Manuel's reign. The handbook is striking for its prudent conviction of the orthodoxy of this science; its audience was likely to be found among a literate public outside the realm of scholars and professional astrologers, or even the imperial court itself, however. In many ways, the simplicity of this collection of excerpts and its didactic purposes are also reminiscent of astrological poems that circulated at the time, especially John Kamateros' Introduction to Astronomy and Constantine Manasses' verses to the Sebastokratorissa Irene.