This project takes you inside the manuscripts themselves—not just to read about them, but to engage with the texts as they appear on the page. Each folio is examined closely: the Latin words, the abbreviations, the marginal notes, the diagrams. Through this careful work, patterns emerge about how knowledge traveled and transformed across centuries.
The Text
Latin transcriptions alongside translations, line by line. Abbreviations expanded. Difficult passages noted. Click any term for its definition.
The Diagrams
Cosmological spheres, computational tables, astronomical charts—medieval manuscripts were visual as well as textual. These deserve close attention.
The Context
Where was this made? By whom? What sources did the scribe draw upon? Each question opens new avenues of inquiry.
MS Auct. F.1.9
Bodleian Library, Oxford · s. XII2
A 12th-century English manuscript containing texts on cosmology, computus, mathematics, and astronomy. A "album of science"—a compendium of scientific knowledge assembled for study and teaching.
- Cosmological diagrams (Macrobius)
- Computus and Easter calculation
- Abacus and proportions
- Lunar tables
The Approach
Transcription
Reading the manuscript directly, understanding scribal practices and abbreviations.
Translation
Rendering Latin into English while preserving scholarly precision.
Commentary
Explaining technical terms, identifying sources, noting difficulties.
Connections
Tracing how ideas moved between manuscripts, institutions, and centuries.
This is independent scholarship—no institution, no deadline, no funding constraints. Just the texts and the questions they raise.
Manuscript images via Digital Bodleian · CC BY-NC 4.0