Flavio Gioja
Encyclopedia
Flavio Gioja or Gioia is reputed to have been an Italian
mariner and inventor, although modern scholarship disputes that he ever, in fact, existed. He was supposedly a marine pilot and has traditionally been credited with perfecting the sailor's compass
by suspending its needle over a fleur-de-lis
design, which pointed north. He also enclosed the needle in a little box with a glass cover. The sailor's compass, however, had been in use long before by Mediterranean navigators. (Gioia was said to have introduced the fleur-de-lis design in deference to Charles of Anjou, the French
king of Naples
.)
Flavio Gioia's birthplace is alternately given as Amalfi
, Positano
, Naples
, or ultimately, Gioia
, a town in Puglia, hence the derivation of the reputed surname. The historical misunderstanding may be the result of a simple error in syntax: the Italian historian Flavio Biondo
wrote that the compass was invented by Amalfitans. This attribution was then passed on as a Flavio dicitur, i.e. "to Amalfitans, as reported by Flavio". An interposition of a comma by mistake would then read a Flavio, dicutur, changing the meaning to "to the Amalfitan, Flavio, so they say." Later, Lilio Gregorio Giraldi attributes (in his De Re Nautica from 1540) the invention of the compass to this "Flavio of Amalfi." A later historian, Scipione Mazzella, a Neapolitan, claimed (in around 1600) that Flavio was from Gioia, a town in Puglia. Thus, Flavio Gioia.
Recently, the Italian historian, Chiara Frugoni, published detailed research claiming to end all doubt: Flavio Gioia never existed. This study was cited and confirmed by the historian Alessandro Barbero
in a popular Italian scientific TV program, Superquark (transmission of 7 August 2008).
The lunar crater Gioja
is named after him.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
mariner and inventor, although modern scholarship disputes that he ever, in fact, existed. He was supposedly a marine pilot and has traditionally been credited with perfecting the sailor's compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
by suspending its needle over a fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
design, which pointed north. He also enclosed the needle in a little box with a glass cover. The sailor's compass, however, had been in use long before by Mediterranean navigators. (Gioia was said to have introduced the fleur-de-lis design in deference to Charles of Anjou, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
king of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.)
Flavio Gioia's birthplace is alternately given as Amalfi
Amalfi
Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, c. 35 km southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery...
, Positano
Positano
Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast , in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.-History:...
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, or ultimately, Gioia
Gioia del Colle
Gioia del Colle is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy. The town is located on the Murge plateau at 360 metres above sea level.- History :...
, a town in Puglia, hence the derivation of the reputed surname. The historical misunderstanding may be the result of a simple error in syntax: the Italian historian Flavio Biondo
Flavio Biondo
Flavio Biondo was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to used a three-period division of history and is known as one of the first archaeologists.Born in the capital city of Forlì, in the Romagna region, Flavio was well schooled from an early age,...
wrote that the compass was invented by Amalfitans. This attribution was then passed on as a Flavio dicitur, i.e. "to Amalfitans, as reported by Flavio". An interposition of a comma by mistake would then read a Flavio, dicutur, changing the meaning to "to the Amalfitan, Flavio, so they say." Later, Lilio Gregorio Giraldi attributes (in his De Re Nautica from 1540) the invention of the compass to this "Flavio of Amalfi." A later historian, Scipione Mazzella, a Neapolitan, claimed (in around 1600) that Flavio was from Gioia, a town in Puglia. Thus, Flavio Gioia.
Recently, the Italian historian, Chiara Frugoni, published detailed research claiming to end all doubt: Flavio Gioia never existed. This study was cited and confirmed by the historian Alessandro Barbero
Alessandro Barbero
Alessandro Barbero is an Italian historian, novelist and essayist. He attended the University of Turin where he studied literature and Medieval history. He won the 1996 Strega Prize, Italy's most distinguished literary award, for Bella vita e guerre altrui di Mr. Pyle gentiluomo. His second novel,...
in a popular Italian scientific TV program, Superquark (transmission of 7 August 2008).
The lunar crater Gioja
Gioja (crater)
Gioia is a lunar crater that is located in the vicinity of the north pole of the Moon. It is named after the Italian inventor Flavio Gioia. As it lies so close to the northern limb, it is view nearly from the edge making difficult to observe from the Earth. The crater is attached to the southern...
is named after him.
Sources
- Si trattò soltanto di un errore dovuto ad una virgola (It was just a mistake caused by a comma) (found at sapere.it, stored at archive.org)