Translated from the Greek in Sicily towards the middle of the twelfth century. According to a fourteenth-century gloss added in the margin of Vatican, BAV, Pal. lat. 1371, f. 41r, the text was translated by one ‘Hermann’ in Palermo during the reign of King Roger [Roger II of Sicily, 1130-1154] (‘Translatus in Urbe Panormi tempore regis Roggerii per Hermannum de Greco in Latinum’). Lemay (‘De la scolastique’, passim) argued at length that this Hermann was to be identified with Hermann of Carinthia, even though the evidence seems to speak against this identification, as Haskins (Studies, 53-54 and 161) had already pointed out. It does not follow, however, that the gloss in Vatican, BAV, Pal. lat. 1371 should be rejected altogether, as has been done by Haskins, who dated the translation to c. 1160, a dating which has been widely accepted in the secondary literature since. The reasons adduced by Haskins in favour of this dating, however, are circumstantial and have been criticised by Lemay, who credits the gloss and dates the translation to c. 1150 (‘De la scolastique’, 443-446, 454, 472 and 483), and, recently, by Angold, who re-dated the translation to c. 1156 (‘The Norman Sicilian Court’, 150). The identity of the translator and the exact date of the translation are yet to be elucidated.

Note This translation probably corresponds to the ‘Almagistri de Greco’ listed in the 1280 inventory of Gonzalo Pérez, archbishop of Toledo from 1280 to 1299 (see R. Gonzálvez Ruiz, Hombres y Libros de Toledo (1086-1300), Madrid, 1997, 471-472, no. 9; F. J. Hernández, P. Linehan, The Mozarabic Cardinal. The Life and Times of Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel, Firenze, 2004, 488, no. 30/9).

Text ‘(Vatican, BAV, Vat. lat. 2056) (1r-1v) [translator’s preface] Iam pingendi Gratias antiqui feruntur habuisse consuetudinem, ut unam quidem vultum aversam, due quibus illa manum porrigeret aspectarent. Cuius misterii non ignarus dudum — ad huius operis lectionem dignos admittas, indignos abicias. Suam quippe rebus dignis adimet dignitatem, siquis eas communicaverit indignis. (1v-9r) [book i] 1. Proemium. 2. De ordine theorematum… (chapter index). Proemium auctoris. Valde bene qui proprie philosophati sunt, o Sire, videntur michi sequestrasse theoreticum philosophie a practico — atque inde manifestum est quoniam et reliquorum taetartimoriorum ordinatio contingit eadem omnibus in unoquoque eisdem contingentibus propter rectam speram, id est equinoctialem, sine declinatione ad orizontem subiacet. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematice sintaxeos liber primus explicit. (9r-26r) [book ii] De universali positione eiusque penes nos habitabilis… (chapter index). (9v) Liber secundus. Pertranseuntes in primo Sintaxeos de totorum positione capitulatim debentia prelibari — minutione vero quando occidentalior subiacens. (26r-33r) [book iii] I. De magnitudine anni temporis… (chapter index). Assignatas a nobis in ante hoc coordinatis et universaliter debentibus de celo et terra mathematice prelibari — Piscium gradus VI XLV, anomalie vero tercia g<radus> et VIII ad proximum sexagesima Piscium. Explicit liber tertius Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum. (33r-41r) [book iv] Quibus oportet observationibus que circa Lunam examinare… (chapter index). Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxe liber quartus incipit. A quibus oportet observationibus que circa Lunam examinare. In eo quod ante hoc coordinantes quecunque utique quis videat contingentia circa Solis motum — in coniugationibus Lune et ipsis eclipsibus consonius maxime nostris ypothesibus inventis. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum quartus liber explicit. (41r-47v) [book v] Primum de constructione astrolabii organi… (chapter index). Incipit quintus. De constructione astrolabii organi. Causa vero earum que ad Solem sinzugiarum et sinodicarum vel panselinicarum — periferiam maiorem esse ea que est ZB habuimus et AIZ angulum g<radus> XXXV et d<imidium>, quod propositum erat demonstrando. Finit quintus. (47v-55v) [book vi] Primum de sinodis et panselmiis… (chapter index). Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos sextus incipit. De sinodis et panselmiis. Deinceps ergo contingente eo quod circa eclipticas sinzugias Solis et Lune negotio — universalius recipientes lunarium partes primas et extremas eclipsium et completionum significationes. (55v-61v) [book vii] Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos septimus liber incipit. Quoniam fixe stelle eandem semper positionem conservant ad se invicem… (chapter index). (56r) Quoniam fixe stelle eandem semper positionem conservant ad se invicem. Pertranseuntes in ante hoc coordinatis, o Sire, et circa rectam et circa inclinatam speram contingentia — (star catalogue). (61v-66v) [book viii] Expositio canonica eius quod apud australe hemisperium asterismi… (chapter index). (62r) (star catalogue) — spatia sumptis ad Solem significationibus et in ipsis in parte Lune acclinationibus. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos octavus liber explicit. (66v-72v) [book ix] De ordine sperarum Solis et Lune et quinque erraticorum… (chapter index). Incipit nonus. De ordine sperarum Solis et Lune et quinque erraticorum. Igitur quecunque quidem quis et de fixis stellis velut in capitulis commemorat secundum quantum usque nunc apparentia processum conceptionis — tantis vero I et VI superant chelarum g<radus> qui secundum observationem. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos liber nonus explicit. (72v-76v) [book x] Demonstratio apoguii stelle Veneris… (chapter index). Demonstratio apoguii stelle Veneris. Igitur stelle quidem Mercurii ypotheses et quantitates anomaliarum — optinebit manifestum quoniam et secundum expositum epochis temporis Cancri g<radus> XVI XL. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematici sintaxeos liber decimus explicit. (76v-83v) [book xi] Demonstratio excentricis Iovis… (chapter index). Demonstratio excentricis Iovis. Demonstratis circa Martis stellam periodicis motibus et anomaliis et epochis — et collectum g<raduum> numerum dementes ab eo quod tunc apoguio stelle, in apparentem ipsius progressionem incurremus. Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos liber undecimus finit. (83v-88v) [book xii] Hec sunt que in duodecimo Mathematicorum Ptolomei continentur… (chapter index). De his que imprecessiones presumuntur. His demonstratis consequens utique erit et secundum unamquamque quinque erraticarum factas precessiones — tertio vero hesperias et rursum quarto eoas et quinto esperias, et est canon huiusmodi (followed by a table). (88v-94v) [book xiii] Claudii Ptolomei Mathematicorum sintaxeos liber XIII^us incipit. Hec continentur in XIII^o Mathematicorum Ptolomei… (chapter index). De ypothesibus in eas que secundum latitudinem progressionis quinque planetarum. Delictis autem in eam que de quinque erraticis coordinationem adhuc duobus his et secundum latitudinem — et que ad commoditatem solam contemplationis sed non ad ostentationem commemoratio suggerebat, proprium utique nobis hic et commensurabilem recipiat finem presens negotium.’

Bibl. A. A. Björnbo, ‘Die mittelalterlichen lateinischen Übersetzungen aus dem Griechischen auf dem Gebiete der mathematischen Wissenschaften’, in Festschrift Moritz Cantor anläßlich seines achtzigsten Geburtstages gewidnet von Freuden und Verehrern, Leipzig, 1909, 93-102: 100 (no. 19); C. H. Haskins, D. P. Lockwood, ‘The Sicilian Translators of the Twelfth Century and the First Latin Version of Ptolemy’s Almagest’, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 21 (1910), 75-102; J. L. Heiberg, ‘Eine mittelalterliche Übersetzung der Syntaxis des Ptolemaios’, Hermes 45 (1910), 57-66; J. L. Heiberg, ‘Noch einmal die mittelalterliche Ptolemaios-Übersetzung’, Hermes 46 (1911), 207-216; C. H. Haskins, ‘Further Notes on Sicilian Translations of the Twelfth Century’, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 23 (1912), 155-166: 155-158; C. H. Haskins, Studies in the History of Mediaeval Science, Cambridge, 1927 (2^nd ed.), 53-54, 157-164 and 191-193; F. Bliemetzrieder, ‘Adelhard von Bath als Übersetzer der Almagest ca. 1153-1160’, in Adelhard von Bath: Blätter aus dem Leben eines englischen Naturphilosophen des 12. Jahrhunderts und Bahnbrecher einer Wiedererweckung der griechischen Antike, München, 1935, 149-274; T. Silverstein, ‘Hermann of Carinthia and Greek: A Problem in the «New Science» of the Twelfth Century’, in Medioevo e Rinascimento. Studi in onore di Bruno Nardi, Florence, 1955, II, 683-699; J. E. Murdoch, ‘Euclides Graeco-Latinus: A Hitherto Unknown Medieval Latin Translation of the Elements Made Directly from the Greek’, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 71 (1967), 249-302: 263-270; C. Burnett, ‘Arabic into Latin in Twelfth Century Spain: The Works of Hermann of Carinthia’, Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch 13 (1978), 100-134: 130-132; R. Lemay, ‘De la scolastique à l’histoire par le truchement de la philologie: Itinéraire d’un médiéviste entre Europe et Islam’, in La diffusione delle scienze islamiche nel Medio Evo europeo. Convegno internazionale, ed. B. Scarcia Amoretti, Roma, 1987, 399-535: 428-484; P. Kunitzsch, ‘Die Überlieferung des Almagest, griechisch-arabisch-lateinisch’, in Lingua restituta Orientalis. Festgabe für Julius Assfalg, ed. M. Görg, Wiesbaden, 1990, 203-210: 207-208; C. Burnett, ‘Indian Numerals in the Mediterranean Basin in the Twelfth Century, with Special Reference ot the ‘Eastern Forms’’, in From China to Paris: 2000 Years’ Transmission of Mathematical Ideas, eds Y. Dold-Samplonius, J. W. Dauben, M. Folkerts, B. van Dalen, Stuttgart, 2002, 237-288: 244-245 and 248 (reprinted in C. Burnett, Numerals and Arithmetic in the Middle Ages, Farnham-Burlington, 2010, V); C. Burnett, ‘The Use of Arabic Numerals Among the Three Language Cultures of Norman Sicily’, Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana 35 (2003-2004), 39-48: 39-40 and 47 (reprinted in C. Burnett, Numerals and Arithmetic in the Middle Ages, Farnham-Burlington, 2010, VI); E. Nicolai, La tradizione greco-latina e arabo-latina del I libro dell’Almagesto. Saggio di analisi e traduzione, PhD dissertation, Università di Padova, 2010, 11-35 and 57-67; M. Angold, ‘The Norman Sicilian Court as a Centre for the Translation of Classical Texts’, Mediterranean Historical Review, 35 (2020), 147-167: 150, 153-154 and passim; M. Angold, C. Burnett, ‘Latin Translators from Greek in the Twelfth Century: Why and How They Translate’, in Why Translate Science? Documents from Antiquity to the 16^th Century in the Historical West (Bactria to the Atlantic), ed. D. Gutas, Leiden-Boston, 2022, 488-524: 491.

Modern ed. None, except for Book I, ed. Nicolai, 151-179 (from MSS Vatican, BAV, Pal. lat. 1371, and Vatican, BAV, Vat. lat. 2056). The translator’s preface has been edited by Haskins/Lockwood, 99-102 (from Vatican, BAV, Vat. lat. 2056) and Haskins, Studies, 191-193 (from Wolfenbüttel, HAB, 147 Gud. Lat. 4º, with variants from Vatican, BAV, Vat. lat. 2056 and Vatican, BAV, Pal. lat. 1371 – MS Bologna, BCA, A. 1855, so far unnoticed, has not been collated). Haskins’s edition is reproduced, together with a French translation, in Lemay, 433-439, with notes, 439-462; and has been translated into English by K. Mallette, The Kingdom of Sicily, 1100-1250: A Literary History, Philadelphia, 2005, 156-158; and by Angold/Burnett, 505-509. A critical edition by Colette Dufossé is forthcoming.