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Mar 15, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read Read on X
How did you study Science in Anglo-Saxon England?

Well, this #ScienceWeek, let us introduce you to Bede 'the Venerable', and his scientific treatises (and computus) exploring the mathematical and physical basis of time ⌛ A tonsured seated scribe, w...
The idea of science in the early Middle Ages is a broad one, encompassing many subjects. The root of the word ‘science’ comes from the Latin scientia, meaning ‘knowledge’. In the Middle Ages, a person’s ‘science’ referred to his understanding of a particular topic.
Among the earliest and most widespread mathematical texts and diagrams are those that dealt with time-reckoning: determining moveable feasts, which involved using both arithmetic and astronomy through computus. A page from Bede's 'De temp...A page from Bede's 'De natu...
Bede’s texts were aimed at students, and he used similes to explain complex ideas, including Earth being shaped like a sphere:

it’s ‘not circular like a shield or spread out like a wheel, but resembles a ball being equally round in all directions’
His works also contain a number of illustrations and diagrams, including a diagram showing the Roman method of counting to 10,000 and beyond with your fingers, and a table charting the orbits of various planets. A page from Bede's 'De temp...A page from Bede's 'De temp...
Because it was so clearly written, ‘De temporum ratione’ became one of Bede’s most popular works, remaining a core ‘school book’ in western Europe for centuries.

Explore more Medieval science this #ScienceWeek: bit.ly/3ZR7tnL

📜 Royal MS 13 A XI
#ItemOfTheWeek

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More from @britishlibrary

Aug 23, 2023
A long time ago in a manuscript far, far away…

Seeing as #Ahsoka lands on Disney today: presenting a bunch of medieval illustrated characters as creatures from #StarWars, a thread 🧵

Yoda, from the Smithfield Decretals, c.1300-1340
Yoda from Star Wars – a short green figure with long ears pointed outwards, grey-white hair and wrinkles. Yoda is wrapped in an old cloak.
An illuminated manuscript of a similar-looking green figure with ears pointed horizontally outwards and green webbed hands appear from underneath its cloak.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, from the Smithfield Decretals, c.1300-1340
Obi-Wan, a character from Star Wars, is a man with white hair and beard. He wears a brown cloak with layers of white and brown underneath.
An illumination from a manuscript depicting a man with short white hair and beard, wearing a long black cloak with large white sleeves underneath.
Princess Leia, from the St Omer Book of Hours, c.1320
A woman with her hair in buns on either side of her head, in a white dress and belt, holds a black pistol in her right hand.
In a manuscript illumination, a woman with her hair in buns and a white dress, holds two long torches.
Read 8 tweets
Apr 26, 2023
In Disney’s The Lion King, little Simba grows up to become the ‘King of Beasts’ – but where did this idea come from? The answer lies in the medieval bestiary, along with a host of other wondrous and exciting discoveries 🦁 An illustration of a lion from a 12th-century bestiary. He proudly stands on all fours, and has green and blue highlights in his fur and mane. MS 11283
What is a bestiary? Well, it was a ‘book of beasts’ that included descriptions of the characteristics and habits of animals. An early medieval natural history encyclopedia if you will. A page from a bestiary with text and an illustration of a phoenix rising from the flames. Harley MS 4751
Unlike our modern equivalents, however, which explain habitats, scientific classifications, and eating preferences, creatures in the bestiary were associated allegorical moral lessons, used as evidence of God’s divine plan for the world.
A page from a bestiary with text and an illustration of a dragon wrapped around and elephant. Harley MS 4751.
An illustration showing a ship full of men beached on top of a whale. Harley MS 4751
Read 5 tweets
Mar 15, 2022
It’s #QuizTime again, and this week we’re quizzing you on Ludwig van #Beethoven! Da da da dummm.

📑 Hirsch.2034 Drawing of Beethoven
Q1: Where was Ludwig van Beethoven born?
Q2: Beethoven began to compose music as a young child. How old was he when his first work was published?
Read 8 tweets
Sep 14, 2021
Met Gala looks as Medieval art: a thread

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Dec 21, 2020
Got 5 minutes? Test your literary knowledge with these five bookish brainteasers. Answers in an hour! 📚❓⤵️ #QuizTime Parrot reading newspaper Il...
Q1: Who is the author of Pride and Prejudice?
Q2: Which famous novelist used to perform dramatic readings of his/her works?
Read 6 tweets
Dec 13, 2020
This year we all need that warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling. So for the next twelve days we’ll be sharing an updated rendition of a Christmas classic with a British Library twist (deep breath) 👇
“On the first day of Christmas the Library gave to me… a world of ideas and discovery” #BLThanksYou Image: photograph of childr...
And though you’re special, this year we opened up this world of inspiration to 5.9 million online learners who consulted 3.1 million collection items. And our events were streamed to 45,000 living rooms in 1,134 locations around the globe. Phew! Image: photograph of a pers...
Read 32 tweets

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