Scanning the Skies: A Virtual Exhibit of Astronomy Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania
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Alfonsine Tables

Manuscript Item Type Metadata

Date

1401-4

Description

Created from 1262 to 1272 by the Toledo School of Translators, a scholarly organization established by King Alfonso X of León and Castile (1221-1284) to translate scientific texts from Arabic to Castilian, the Alfonsine Tables contained data required to calculate the position of the planets, sun, and moon in relation to the fixed stars. A team led by Jehuda ben Moses Cohen and Isaac ben Sid produced this updated version of the Toledan Tables (completed by Arabic scholars c. 1080), which circulated widely in Europe after being translated into Latin in Paris during the 1320’s.

This manuscript contains the complete Alfonsine Tables (including average planetary motions, solar and lunar conjunctions, geographic coordinates of cities, and eclipses) and supplementary texts by the fourteenth-century astronomers John of Saxony, Jean de Lignières, and Henricus Selder. It also contains emendations made to the tables for use in Prague, and a short passage on weather prediction by the Baghdad-born Jewish astronomer Māshāʼallāh (משאללה; c. 730-c. 815). Bound in contemporary limp vellum with string ties, this manuscript shows signs of frequent use, with five leaves that have been completely or partially removed (two after fol. 12; fol. 84; two at end), as well as two pages of notes laid in after fol. 1.

Call Number

UPenn LJS 174

Pages Displayed

68v-69r

Video Orientation

LJS 174 Video Orientation

Full Digitization

LJS 174 on Penn in Hand

Author(s)

Toledo School of Translators; John, of Saxony (fl. 1327-1355); Māshāʼallāh (משאללה, c. 730-c. 815); Jean de Lignières; Henricus Selder

Place of Origin

Prague, Czech Republic

Language(s)

Latin

Materials

Paper

Number of Leaves

142

Dimensions

295 x 225 mm

Binding

Original limp vellum; lower cover originally wrapped around upper cover with remnants of string ties; leather spine with title Astronomica manuscripta and leather button at head

Provenance (Ownership History)

Counts of Ortenburg at Tambach Castle; John D. Stanitz; Lawrence J. Schoenberg

Further Reading

Crofton Black, ed., Transformation of Knowledge: Early Manuscripts from the Collection of Lawrence J. Schoenberg (London: Paul Holberton, 2006), 68-9.

Collection

The Scholarly Tradition

Tags

Tables

Citation

“Alfonsine Tables,” Scanning the Skies: A Virtual Exhibit of Astronomy Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania, accessed July 1, 2025, https://aylinmalcolm.com/astro/items/show/13.

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