Gerard of Cremona

Gerard of Cremona (Gherardo) (Cremona, Lombardy, c. 1114 ? Toledo, 1187), famous Italian translator of scientific works. Most famous as the translator of Ptolemy?s Astronomy (mistakenly credited as translator of Avicenna's Canon of Medicine; see below) from Arabic texts found in Toledo, he was one of a small group of scholars who invigorated medieval Europe in the 12th century by transmitting Greek and Arab traditions in astronomy, medicine and other sciences, in the form of translations into Latin, which made them available to every literate person in the West.

Related Topics:
Cremona - 1114 - Toledo - 1187 - Ptolemy - Avicenna - Canon of Medicine - Arabic - Scholar - Medieval Europe - Greek - Astronomy - Medicine - Science - Latin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dissatisfied with the meager philosophies of his Italian teachers, Gherardo followed his true passions and went to Toledo, sometime before 1144. There he learned Arabic, initially so that he could read Ptolemy's Almagest, which retained its traditional high reputation among scholars, even though no Latin translation existed. Although we do not have detailed information of the date when Gherard went to Spain, it was no later than 1144.

Related Topics:
1144 - Ptolemy - Almagest - Spain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Toledo, which had been provincial capital in the caliphate of Cordoba and a seat of learning, was safely available to a Catholic like Gerard. Since it had been conquered from the Moors by Alfonso VI of Castile, Toledo remained a multicultural capital. Its rulers protected the large Jewish colony, and kept their trophy city an important centre of Arab and Hebrew culture, one of the great scholars associated with Toledo being Rabbi ben Ezra, Gerard's contemporary. The Moorish and Jewish inhabitants of Toledo adopted the language and many customs of their conquerors, embodying Mozarabic culture. The city was full of libraries and manuscripts, the one place in Europe where a Christian could fully immerse himself in Arabic language and culture.

Related Topics:
Cordoba - Catholic - Moors - Alfonso VI of Castile - Jewish - City - Arab - Hebrew - Culture - Rabbi ben Ezra - Moorish - Language - Mozarabic culture - Libraries - Manuscript - Europe - Christian

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Toledo Gerard devoted the remainder of his life to making Latin translations from the Arabic scientific literature.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~