Top of page

Book/Printed Material Abū Ma'shar's Eight Treatises Regarding the Great Conjunctions, the Annual Revolutions, and Their Origins. Albumasar De magnis conjunctionibus, annorum revolutionibus, ac eorum profectionibus, octo continens tractatus

About this Item

Title

  • Abū Ma'shar's Eight Treatises Regarding the Great Conjunctions, the Annual Revolutions, and Their Origins.

Other Title

  • Albumasar De magnis conjunctionibus, annorum revolutionibus, ac eorum profectionibus, octo continens tractatus

Summary

  • Ja'far ibn Muḥammad al-Balkhī (787--886), known as Abū Ma'shar (and as Albumasar in the Latin West), was one of the most-renowned astronomers of the Middle Ages. His fame in Europe rested upon numerous Latin translations of his astronomical works from the original Arabic. He was born in the Persian city of Balkh (present-day Afghanistan), on 20th of Ṣafar, 171 AH (August 10, 787). He most likely received his early education in Balkh prior to moving to Baghdad, as his works are often colored by a distinct Persian nationalism. According to Ibn al-Nadīm, the tenth-century scholar and bibliographer, Abū Ma'shar abandoned the study of hadith to focus instead on astronomy and astrology when he was 47 years old. Ibn al-Nadīm lists more than 30 astronomical titles by Abū Ma'shar. Shown here is Kitāb aḥkām taḥāwil sinī al-mawālīd (Book of the annual revolutions of nativities), translated by Johannes Hispalensis (John of Seville, flourished mid-12th century) under the title De magnis coniunctionibus et annorum revolutionibus ac eorum profectionibus octo continens tractatus, and first printed at Augsburg in 1489. The first five books were also translated into Latin in the 13th century from an earlier Greek translation and published in Basel in 1559. Presented here is a Venice edition of 1515, printed in the shop of Melchiorre Sessa the elder (active 1506--49), identifiable by his printer's mark: the initials "MS" beside a crown above the image of a cat that has just caught a mouse.

Names

  • Abū Ma'shar, 787-886 Author.
  • Joannes, Hispalensis, flourished 1120-1153 Translator.
  • Sessa, Melchiorre, active 1506-1549 Printer.

Created / Published

  • Venice : Melchior Sessa for Jacob Pentius Leucensis, 1515.

Headings

  • -  Afghanistan
  • -  Iraq
  • -  850 to 1515
  • -  Astrology
  • -  Astronomy, Arab
  • -  Astronomy, Medieval
  • -  Constellations
  • -  Planets

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 188 pages : illustrations ; 21 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Qatar National Library.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666870

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Abū Ma'Shar, 787-886 Author, Hispalensis Joannes, and Melchiorre Sessa. Abū Ma'shar's Eight Treatises Regarding the Great Conjunctions, the Annual Revolutions, and Their Origins. Venice: Melchior Sessa for Jacob Pentius Leucensis, 1515. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666870/.

APA citation style:

Abū Ma'Shar, 7. A., Joannes, H. & Sessa, M. (1515) Abū Ma'shar's Eight Treatises Regarding the Great Conjunctions, the Annual Revolutions, and Their Origins. Venice: Melchior Sessa for Jacob Pentius Leucensis. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666870/.

MLA citation style:

Abū Ma'Shar, 787-886 Author, Hispalensis Joannes, and Melchiorre Sessa. Abū Ma'shar's Eight Treatises Regarding the Great Conjunctions, the Annual Revolutions, and Their Origins. Venice: Melchior Sessa for Jacob Pentius Leucensis, 1515. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666870/>.