Table Of ContentScientific Weather Forecasting in the Middle Ages
Man has always tried to find effective ways to predict the weather.
Simple predictions from meteorological phenomena or from the
constellations rising in the sky can be found attributed to Aristotle,
and in Varro, Pliny, Ptolemy, and the parapêgmata of Classical times.
However, the particular cultural situation of Baghdad in the mid-ninth
century encouraged the production of what can be regarded as the first
scientific treatises on weather forecasting. These are two 'letters' of
the 'Philosopher of the Arabs', Ya'qüb ibn Ishãq al-Kindi (ca 800-ca.
870), who combines at least three traditions of weather forecasting:
the native Arabic agricultural tradition, Greek Aristotelian meteo
rology, and scientific astrology. This volume sketches the history of
weather forecasting from ancient times through to the Early Modern
period, and places the two letters of al-Kindi in their historical and
intellectual context. The original Arabic text of al-Kindi's letters has
not been discovered, but the work is known through two Hebrew
translations, and an independent Latin version, made directly from the
Arabic, in which the two letters have been combined into one treatise.
All these texts are edited here, together with an annotated English
translation of the principal Hebrew version and a detailed
commentary. This book not only adds to our knowledge concerning
al-Kindi, but is also the first study devoted exclusively to medieval
weather forecasting—a topic which, from the evidence of the number
of texts and manuscripts, had a significant place in medieval scientific
and social culture.
Gerrit Bos is Professor and Chairholder in Jewish Studies at the
Martin Buber Institute, University of Cologne.
Charles Burnett is Professor in the History of the Islamic Influences
in Europe at the Warburg Institute, University of London.
THE SIR HENRY WELLCOME
ASIAN SERIES
Editors
Lawrence I. Conrad, London
Paul Unschuld, München
Dominik Wujastyk, London
Editorial Board
Ronald E. Emmerick, Hamburg
Donald J. Harper, Tucson
Lutz Richter-Bernburg, Leipzig
Already Published
Ibn al-Jazzar on Forgetfulness and its Treatment: Gerrit Bos
Early Chinese Medical Literature: Donald J. Harper
Ibn Al-Jazzar on Sexual Diseases and Their Treatment: Gerrit Bos
Ibn Al-Jazzar on Fevers: Gerrit Bos
A Soup for the Qan: Paul D. Buell and Eugene N. Anderson
Scientific Weather Forecasting in the Middle Ages: Gerrit Bos and Charles Burnett
Forthcoming
Conjugal Love in India: Kenneth Y. Zysk
Scientific Weather Forecasting
in the Middle Ages
The Writings of Al-Kindi
Studies, Editions, and Translations
of the Arabic, Hebrew and Latin Texts
GERRIT BOS AND CHARLES BURNETT
First published in 2000 by
Kegan Paul International Limited
This edition published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, 0X14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© Gerrit Bos and Charles Burnett, 2000
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
ISBN 13: 978-0-7103-0576-3 (hbk)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Bos, Gerrit, 1948-
Scientific Weather Forecasting in the Middle Ages: the writings of Al-Kindi:
studies, editions, translations.- (Sir Henry Wellcome Asian Series)
1. Weather Forecasting-History. I. Title II. Burnett, Charles
551.6’3’0902 ISBN 0710305761
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kindi.d.ca.873
Scientific Weather Forecasting in the Middle Ages: the writings of Al-Kindi:
studies, editions, translations / by Gerrit Bos and Charles Burnett
(Sir Henry Wellcome Asian Series) ISBN 0-7103-0576-1 (alk.paper)
1. Weather Forecasting-Early works to 1800. 2. Weather Forecasting-History
I. Bos, Gerrit. 1984 - II. Burnett, Charles. III. Title. IV. Series
QC995.K46 1997 551.63’09 02~dc21 97-48320 CIP
Contents
SCIENTIFIC WEATHER FORECASTING IN THE MIDDLE AGES
1 Al-Kindi and the History of Weather Forecasting 1
2 The Texts 29
3 The Hebrew Tradition 41
4 The Latin Tradition 65
AL-KINDI LETTER I
Hebrew Text 97
Hebrew Text MS C 137
English Translation 161
AL-KINDI LETTER II
Hebrew Text 203
Hebrew Text MSS CN 229
English Translation 243
LATIN TRANSLATION (DE MUTATIONE TEMPORUM)
Text 263
Apparatus criticus 311
COMMENTARY
Letter I 325
Letter II 361
The Additional Passages in the Latin Translation 381
APPENDIXES
I The Opening of the Doors (Apertio portarum) 385
II The Forty Chapters, c. 38 395
III The Letter on the Phenomena of the Atmosphere 409
IVA The Tehran Chapters 421
IVB 'Umar', k. mukhtasar al-masa'il (Liber Aomaris), cc. 81-5
433
V: Saturnus in Ariete 457
INDEXES
Hebrew
Letter I: Index of Terms 467
Index of Names 489
Letter II: Index of Terms 491
Index of Names 507
Latin
Index I 509
Index II 537
General Index 541
GENERAL ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 551
TABLES (at the end of the volume)
I Effects of Combinations of the Planets and the Sun in their
Quadrants
II The Lunar Mansions in Weather-Forecasting Texts
III The Rain-Bringing Signs of the Zodiac
An illustration accompanying the weather-forecasting text 'Jafar Indus' in which the lunar mansions
(here indicated only by number) are classified according to their relations to the human body
('shoulder', 'ear', 'mouth' etc.) and their degrees of good and bad fortune in themselves and in relation
to each other. Note that, while the mansions are numbered up to 28, the scribe points out in both parts
of the diagram that no. 16 (al-zubãnã) is not included; see p. 367 below. MS Cambridge, Clare College
15, fol. 5v (with permission of the Master and Fellows).
Preliminary Note and Acknowledgements
This book is meant to be a contribution as much to the history of
scientific weather forecasting as to the study of al-Kindi whose
works are at the centre of this history. In respect to scientific
weather forecasting, the medieval Greek and the Western
vernacular traditions are not dealt with here. Moreover, further
studies are in progress on the Arabic texts on lunar mansions,
and on other major Arabic works on weather forecasting,
especially Abü Ma'shar's k. al-sirr.
Over the several years in which this volume has been in
preparation the authors have incurred many debts. We would
like to thank Stuart Jenks for initial inspiration and for the loan
of microfilms and transcriptions; Elaheh Kheirandish for procur
ing copies of the folios of the Tehran manuscript; Tzvi Langer-
mann for help in getting copies of Hebrew manuscripts, and for
advice on the Hebrew text; Bernard Goldstein and Albert Ivry
for improvements to the Hebrew text and its translation; and
David Pingree for reading the whole typescript and making in
valuable comments and corrections. In addition, much kindness
and promptness in response to queries has been shown by
Michael Edwards, Robert Goulding, Dag Nikolaus Hasse, Paul
Kunitzsch, Paul Lettinck, Michael McVaugh, Marilyn Nicoud,
Sophie Page, Antonio Panaino, Roshdi Rashed, Robert Sharpies,
Amittai Spitzer, Sergei Tourkin, Keiji Yamamoto, Michio Yano
and Irene Zwiep. The Warburg and Wellcome Institutes have
provided a congenial atmosphere for our joint work. While both
authors have worked together on the whole book, Gerrit Bos is
