Abstract
The paper analyses three preserved reports, depicting Gerbert of Aurillac (also known as: of Reims, of Ravenna, of Bobbio, and in 999–1003 as Pope Sylvester II) as a clockmaker. The Benedictine monk William of Malmesbury (died around 1143) writes about clocks Gerbert made in Reims in The History of the English Kings and describes them as arte mechanica compositum. The Benedictine Arnold Wion (died around 1610) mentions clocks from Ravenna, where Gerbert allegedly constructed a clepsydra, in The Tree of Life. In his Chronicle, Thietmar of Merseburg (died around 1018) describes a horologium with an observation tube (fistula) from Magdeburg. These three references are analysed from a historical standpoint and especially Williams’s and Thietmar’s short reports are interpreted as possible references to timekeeping devices – the astrolabe and the nocturlabe.
Highlights
Gerbert of Aurillac has traditionally been associated with a wide range of inventive and practical tools, of which he is supposed to be the propagator, constructor, or creator
The Benedictine Arnold Wion mentions clocks from Ravenna, where Gerbert allegedly constructed a clepsydra, in The Tree of Life. In his Chronicle, Thietmar of Merseburg describes a horologium with an observation tube from Magdeburg. These three references are analysed from a historical standpoint and especially Williams’s and Thietmar’s short reports are interpreted as possible references to timekeeping devices – the astrolabe and the nocturlabe
This outstanding intellectual of the last third of the 10th century, who became Pope Sylvester II in 999, was deeply interested in the disciplines of the trivium
Summary
Gerbert of Aurillac has traditionally been associated with a wide range of inventive and practical tools, of which he is supposed to be the propagator, constructor, or creator. This outstanding intellectual of the last third of the 10th century, who became Pope Sylvester II in 999, was deeply interested in the disciplines of the trivium (among others, he created an illustrative aid for practising rhetorical figures and he is considered a progenitor of teaching and commenting on dialectics according to the traditional texts, so-called logica vetus). Since the sources are not always clear on what type of device is mentioned, apart from the clepsydra, I will introduce the astrolabe and the nocturlabe while presenting these devices as tools for timekeeping
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
