Germanicus' Aratea

Aratea text: Germanicus, Aratea

Parchment — i (paper) + 33 + i (paper) fols. — 360 × 280 mm — Saint-Bertin — X-XI (not before 905).

Support: According toC. Jeudi, Y.-F. Riou I¹⁰ (ff.1-10), II-III⁸ (ff.11-18 and 19-26), IV^8(-1) (ff.27-33).

Script: The text of the calender and the tables onff. 1r-10vis written in uncial in red and green. The argumenta on f. 11r-19r are written in tiny Caroline minuscule. The text of germanicus' Aratea is written in Capitalis rustica.

History: The text of Germanicus' Aratea belong to the Z-family. There is still dispute about the origin of manuscript. The fact that the text in Boulogne-sur-mer skips 142 and 144-146, which are present inLeiden, VLQ MS 79 have cast doubt that the latter manuscript served as the model. Reeve (1980), however, argues that these verses were simply erased from the Leiden MS from the scribe who added the Gothic transcript. Scholars are nevertheless still careful in establishing the connection between the two witnesses (see Obbema). The computistical argumenta in give a terminus post quem 905. Based on the palaeographical and art-historical features the MS is supposed to be written in the abbey of Saint-Omer-Saint-Bertin during the time of Abbot Odbert (986-1008). — Around the end of the 10th c. the mansucript was still in Saint-Bertin where it served as the model for the production of Bern Bürgerbibliothek MS 88. It is however not mentioned in the library catalogue from 1104 (Becker, Nr. 77, p. 181-184).

Selected bibliography:Obbeama (1989), pp. 11-13. — Mütherich (1989). — Catalogue général des manuscrits des bibliothèques publiques des départements. Vol. IV. Pp. 687-8. — Jeudi, C. and Y.-F. Riou.Les manuscrits classiques latins des Bibliotheques publiques de France, I, Paris, 1989, p. 308-9 — Thiele, pp. 82-3. — Bischoff, Kommentar (esp. pp. 13-14). — Boutemy, Andre.L'abbe Odbert et l'enluminure anglais. (Extrait de A travers l'art francais, du moyen age au XXe siecle [=Archives de 'art francaise]. 1978, pp. 15-19. — Heliot, P. "Les manuscrits illustrés de la bibliothèque de Boulogne."Bulletin du Comité flamand de France 1 (1934): 189-221 (here pp. 7-8 and 32-3). — Saenger, Paul.Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading. Stanford University Press, 1997. — Reeve (1980), p. 518.

1r-19v Calendar

• (1r) On the Kalends, Ides, and Nones. Ianuarus augustus et december IIII nones habent XVIIII KL … — … Omnes ergo menses VIII ID habent. Remarks: written in uncial with interchanging colours (green and red) for each second word; f.owed by a table of the ‘regulares concurrents luna epactae’ in each month.

• (1v) Cursus lunae per duodecim signa Remarks: a table of the twelve zodiacal signs doubled starting with aries and ending with aries again on the left handside while on the extreme right are noted the twelve months. A note at the bottom of the page:"litterae incensionis lunaris in pagina regulari per xviiii annos". And later note in caroline minuscule brown ink: "Luna uero XXVIII dieb et VIII horis zodiacum percurrit. Binis uero diebus et senis horis ac bisse unius horę per sigula signa labitur. Duo enim duodecies XXIIII dies sunt VI horę duodecies tres dies sunt, bisse uero duodecies VIII horę sunt & sicut aiunt XXVII diebus & VIII horis luna zodiacum transcurrit circulum".

• (2r-7v) Filocalus calendar Grecorum mensis eydineos signum capricorni principium iani sancit tropicus capricornus mensis ianuarius habet dies XXXI Lunam XXV … — … Expliciunt IIIIor tempora anni XII menses ebdomadae LII & unus dies. Dies CCCLXV et sex horę VIIII DCCLX momenta CCCL DC LX. one the only events recorded side by side to the days are of astronomical phenomena such as "Delphinus matutino exoritur" noted for II. Non. Januari or "In attica uergilię uesperi occultantur" for III. Non. Aprili. There are no liturgical or religious events. Chronography of 354.

• (8r-10v) Computistical tables to find epacts. (10r) Legend to the table:"in minio colore concurrentes incipiunt[…]". Ab epactis praesentis anni deorsum intro grediens per lineam epactarum ascende … — … quia secundo decennouenalis cicli anno DNS INCARNATUS EST.

• (11r-19r) Argumentum de regularibus cycli decennouenalis Si uis inuenire unde principalitatis originem sumant … — … remanet unus una est epacta anno presenti.

• — 19v) blank.

20r-33r Germanicus: Aratea Z family

• (20r) Planispheric constellation map with the five celestial circles, the zodiac and the Milky Way.

• (20vb-33ra) Text: vv. 1-725, fragments III and IIa. Ab Ioue principium magno deduxit Aratus … — … mercurius bimos gradivvs perficit orbis. 40 illustrations of the constellations placed in orange-black frames on blue background in the left part of the f.os. Two pictures per page one on top of the other; stars noted with black or golden dots. 30r planisphere showing the planetary circles (similar to that in Leiden VLQ MS 79 f. 93v), around the diagram in each corner four smaller circular diagram: 7 concentric circles one for each planet: similar to that in Laon BM 422 f. 15v but with textual differences; upper left an isidorian type of rota for the five zones; lower left a rota for the yearly position of the sun (so called tronos soli diagram or horologium rota), lower right a rota diagram for the twelve winds.

• — 33v) blank.

Abreviated Literature:

Catalogued by: Ivana Dobcheva