Almost there...

I am almost finished writing the draft of my MA Thesis. I have a couple more pages in Chapter 3 (old 4), the concluding chapter, and finishing up the Intro. Then I will put it all in the proper format and submit! I am sure there will be some rewriting/revising to come, but I am so excited to be almost there!!!

Andalusian Scientists

I am stuck on Chapter 4 of my thesis. The motivation is slowly building, so I am forcing myself to devote this weekend to it as much as possible. I have classical on in the background (Music Choice Channel 440 via Bright House Cable). It’s a relaxing way to research and write for me personally. A good friend of mine prefers jazz. I tried. It’s just a little too upbeat for what I am doing. But I do love me some great jazz otherwise!

Anyway, I am currently gathering notes on Andalusian scientists. In my preliminary research for this chapter, I found some scientists/scholars that looked promising, although not necessarily from Andalusia. BTW, did you know that Andalus is Arabic for “land of the vandals”? I didn’t until beginning the chapter. Very cool! I digress…

There are several scholars of varying importance to Andalusia during the Middle Ages. The few that I have come across so far are:

Abu Ishaq Ibrahim an-Naqqash, aka al-Zarqali or Azarquiel. His name is derived from the Arabic term for “blue” or “the blue-eyed one” – zarqa. I wonder if that means he had blue eyes? I guess my research will guide me to his vitals.

Ibn Mu-adh al-Jayyani (spherical trigonometry)

Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (mercuric oxide or HgO)

As I discover more, I will add to this post.

I also found that Alfonse X "The Wise" founded a school for translators called The Translators School of Toledo. I am planning to incorporate this into Chapter 4 as it pertains to the translation movement in the West. 

Gerard of Cremona

My final semester has officially begun although I have been doing a little reading and article search for a couple of weeks now. I am still working my way through the Scott L. Montgomery book, Science in Translation. I am only reading one chapter for the purposes of this study, but it is a long chapter and full of information! It's almost a little overwhelming, but I will get through it. As always, I am making notes on what I am reading and highlighting certain passages that I need to research a bit more or plan to quote in my thesis. Don't get me wrong though. I think this is a great book so far! It was actually one that I checked out from the USF Library last semester and decided to purchase a copy for myself. :D


I am also going to be re-reading/skimming through Jonathan Lyons' The House of Wisdom as it is pertinent to Chapter 4 of my Thesis more than any of the other chapters. 

I am in the process of narrowing down my list a bit of the scientists/translators I will focus on for this chapter. Gerard of Cremona is definitely on my "Yes" list! He was probably one of the more important translators and has been compared to Hunayn in method of translation. According to Scott L. Montgomery, "the tremendous contribution [Gerard] made to the Western intellectual tradition...was based on bringing into medieval Latin a large portion of the Arabic-Indian-Persian-Greek synthesis in science..." (p155). I think this is an important point in moving from the Eastern translation movement into the Western as we have to think in terms of what the Arabs brought to the Middle East and it's spread westward from there.

As I have on previous posts, I want to include a picture of Gerard of Cremona, but I am unable to find one. I will keep looking as time permits...

"Make Mine Freedom!" (1948)

I have to thank Parsley for sharing this video on her blog. It is really an interesting little video and fits well with today's government:

Final Semester....Here I Come!!!

It's almost that time again! Time for a new semester at Vermont College of Union Institute & University. I am so ready for this one to begin. If all goes as planned, it will be my LAST! Yay!!! Ok, I won't party too soon 'cause ya never know. But I am sure all will go well enough.

This being my last semester, I have to put much more effort into completing my thesis. I have 2 and a half chapters to write. The half chapter is the remainder of the Introduction (Chapter 1). I have already begun researching for Chapter 4: The House of Wisdom in the West (or something to that effect). I am looking closely at Andalusia for much of the chapter and will pan out from there for a few pages. I say Andalusia because this is where the Caliphate in the West was located under the Umayyads. I am currently reading a chapter in Scott Montgomery's Science in Translation and making notes of scientists listed within. Here are a few that I am planning to look into a bit more:

• Gerbert of Aurillac
• Adelard of Bath
• Gerard of Cremona
• John of Seville
• Hugh of Santalla
• Dominicus Gundissalinus
• Michael Scot
• Petrus Alfonsi
• William Moerbeke

I am sure I will find others along the way, but this is a start for now.

In other scholarly news, Ovation networks recently aired a special called "Paradise Found: Islamic Architecture and Art".

I caught a little bit of it, more than half way through the program, where the narrator was talking about Cordoba and the Umayyad Caliphate. I am hoping to catch the whole thing sometime in the near future, through the Google link I bookmarked (lol). Apparently, this documentary is a few years old.

Looking at the Ovation website, I did find another program scheduled to air Apri1 11 at 8pm called "Andalusia: The Legacy of the Moors". I will be watching that show, but the following week on April 17 at 9pm.

Islamic Manuscripts at Michigan

The University of Michigan has put together an incredible catalog dedicated to Islamic Manuscripts. Check out their website!

Semester Break

Well, we have been on break since mid-February and I am starting to get a bit restless. Over the past couple of days, I have slowly gotten back into the research mode. I have found a few articles that I intend to read over the next week or so and have purchased a couple of books that I have had perpetually checked out from the USF library since November. I have two more that I for sure will be purchasing next month. Check back soon for some "words of wisdom" from me about my readings.