‘El Capri Kylex’: A Franciscan astronomical mnemonic
Authors
Falk, S
Publication Date
2021-08Journal Title
Journal for the History of Astronomy
ISSN
0021-8286
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Volume
52
Issue
3
Pages
267-288
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Falk, S. (2021). ‘El Capri Kylex’: A Franciscan astronomical mnemonic. Journal for the History of Astronomy, 52 (3), 267-288. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218286211026210
Abstract
<jats:p> This article examines the role of memory techniques in medieval astronomy. Using a mnemonic written by a Franciscan friar c. 1330 as a case study, it shows how astronomers and astrologers simplified the sky for practical purposes, using verses and codes to make their science memorable. The article decodes the mnemonic and its underlying astronomical data, assessing its usefulness, memorability and adaptability alongside some other popular astronomical and calendrical mnemonics of the later Middle Ages. It argues that astronomical learning could be a creative, playful activity. And it situates the astrological practices of this particular friar, who made wide-ranging annotations in a 13th-century astronomical compendium, within the scientific and educational traditions of his order. </jats:p>
Keywords
Articles, Astrology, education, Franciscans, medieval astronomy, memory, mnemonics
Identifiers
10.1177_00218286211026210
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00218286211026210
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/326684
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