A kind of joy: the Wise King games
Braulio VÁZQUEZ CAMPOS
Original title: Manera de alegría: los juegos del Rey Sabio
Published in Games from Antiquity to Baroque
Keywords: Alfonso X the Wise, Astrology, Astronomy, Backgammon, Chess, Dice, Game, Middle Ages, Philosophy, Political thought, Worldview.
The «Book of Games» is one of the most luxurious works to have emerged from the scriptorium in the service of King Alfonso X the Wise, but it is also one of the most content rich. It constitutes the foremost evidence of the board games played in the Castilian court in the 13th century, especially chess, backgammon, and dice. Its pages not only encompass explanations of the mechanics and strategy of these recreational activities, but also display an entire world view through allegories, metaphors, philosophical discussions, and political interpretations. This paper endeavours to dissect each of these aspects.
Reception of San Isidoro of Sevilla by Domingo Gundisalvo (1100-1181): Astronomy, Astrology and Medicine in Middle Ages
Alexander Fidora
Original title: La Recepción de San Isidoro de Sevilla por Domingo Gundisalvo (ca. 1110-1181): Astronomía, Astrología y Medicina en la Edad Media
Published in Mirabilia 1
Keywords: Astrology, Astronomy, Dominicus Gundissalinus, Isidore of Seville, Medicine., Toledan School of Translators.
Although the arabic sources of Dominicus Gundissalinus – archdeacon of Cuéllar and one of the most important representatives of the Toledan School of Translators – have been studied in detail, only few information is available until now concerning the latin-christian foundations of his work. The present article pretends to shed some light on the subject by analysing Gundissalinus’ use of Isidore of Seville’s works, which leads to the surprising conclusion that it is precisely the most arabic topics, i.e. astronomy/astrology and medicine, where Gundissalinus is mostly inspired by Saint Isidore.
