Medieval meteorology : forecasting the weather from Aristotle to the almanac / Anne Lawrence-Mathers, University of Reading.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lawrence-Mathers, Anne, 1953- author.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Weather forecasting.

History.

Meteorology.

Meteorology--History--To 1500.

Meteorology--History--16th century.

Weather forecasting--History--To 1500.

Weather forecasting--History--16th century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 228 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"The practice of weather forecasting underwent a crucial transformation in the Middle Ages. Exploring how scientifically based meteorology spread and flourished from ca. 700 to ca. 1600, this study reveals the dramatic changes in forecasting and how the new science of 'astrometeorology' developed. Both narrower and more practical in its approach than earlier forms of meteorology, this new science claimed to deliver weather forecasts for months and even years ahead, on the premise that weather is caused by the atmospheric effects of the planets and stars, and mediated by local and seasonal climatic conditions. Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores how these forecasts were made and explains the growing practice of recording actual weather. These records were used to support forecasting practices, and their popularity grew from the fourteenth century onwards. Essential reading for anyone interested in medieval science, Medieval Meteorology demonstrates that the roots of scientific forecasting are much deeper than is usually recognized"-- Provided by publisher.

"The practice of weather forecasting underwent a crucial transformation in the Middle Ages. Exploring how scientifically-based meteorology spread and flourished from c700- c1600, this study reveals the dramatic changes in forecasting and how the new science of 'astro-meteorology' developed. Both narrower and more practical in its approach than earlier forms of meteorology, this new science claimed to deliver weather forecasts for months and even years ahead, on the premise that weather is caused by the atmospheric effects of the planets and stars, and mediated by local and seasonal climatic conditions. Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores how these forecasts were made and explains the growing practice of recording actual weather. These records were used to support forecasting practices, and their popularity grew from the fourteenth century onwards. Essential reading for anyone interested in medieval science, Medieval Meteorology demonstrates that the roots of scientific forecasting are much deeper than is usually recognized"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Preface; Introduction; 1. Re-creating Meteorology in the Early Middle Ages: Isidore and Bede; 2. Meteorology, Weather Forecasting and the Early-Medieval Renaissance of Astronomy; 3. Exploratory Encounters with the Work of Arab Astronomers and Meteorologists; 4. Meteorology, the New Science of the Stars, and the Rise of Weather Forecasting; 5. The Contested Rise of Astro-meteorology; 6. Applying the Science of Astro-meteorology; 7. Astro-meteorology and Mechanisation; 8. Weather Forecasting and the Impact of Print; Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Lawrence-Mathers, Anne, 1953- Medieval meteorology.

ISBN:

9781108406000

9781108418393

1108418392

1108406009

OCLC:

1128884889

Publisher Number:

99983584025