Francesco Maurolico
Encyclopedia
Francesco Maurolico was a Greek
mathematician and astronomer of Sicily. Throughout his lifetime, he made contributions to the fields of geometry
, optics
, conics, mechanics
, music
, and astronomy
. He edited the works of classical authors including Archimedes
, Apollonius
, Autolycus
, Theodosius
and Serenus
. He also composed his own unique treatises on mathematics and mathematical science.
(1453). Recent studies seem indeed indicate that the family settled in Messina at the end of 14th century (Moscheo). Maurolico received a solid education. His father, Antonio, had been a physician and studied under the famous Hellenic scholar Constantine Lascaris
and later became Master of the Messina mint
. The Maurolico family had a villa
outside the city.
In 1521, Maurolico took holy orders
. In 1550, he entered the Benedictine Order and became a monk
at the monastery of Santa Maria del Parto à Castelbuono. Two years later, he was consecrated as abbot
at the Cattedrale San Nicolò di Messina.
and for a time was in charge of maintaining the fortifications of the city on behalf of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
. Maurolico tutored the two sons of Charles' viceroy in Sicily, Juan de Vega
, and had the patronage of many rich and powerful men. He also corresponded with scholars such as Clavius and Federico Commandino
. Between 1548 and 1550, Maurolico stayed at the castle of Pollina
in Sicily as a guest of the marquis Giovanni II Ventimiglia
, and utilized the castle tower in order to carry out astronomical observations.
Maurolico's astronomical observations include a sighting of the supernova
that appeared in Cassiopeia
in 1572. Tycho Brahe
published details of his observations in 1574; the supernova is now known as Tycho's Supernova.
In 1569, he was appointed professor at the University of Messina
.
The lunar crater Maurolycus
is named after him.
There is a school in Messina with his name.
In 2009 the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage has ordained the establishment of the Edizione nazionale dell'opera matematica di Francesco Maurolico (National Edition of Maurolico's mathematical oeuvre).
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
mathematician and astronomer of Sicily. Throughout his lifetime, he made contributions to the fields of geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, conics, mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. He edited the works of classical authors including Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
, Apollonius
Apollonius of Perga
Apollonius of Perga [Pergaeus] was a Greek geometer and astronomer noted for his writings on conic sections. His innovative methodology and terminology, especially in the field of conics, influenced many later scholars including Ptolemy, Francesco Maurolico, Isaac Newton, and René Descartes...
, Autolycus
Autolycus
In Greek mythology, Autolycus was a son of Hermes and Chione. He was the husband of Neaera, or according to Homer, of Amphithea...
, Theodosius
Theodosius
Theodosius is a name which might refer to one of several people:* One of three emperors of ancient Rome and Byzantium:** Theodosius I , son of Count Theodosius...
and Serenus
Serenus of Antinouplis
Serenus of Antinouplis was an ancient Hellenistic mathematician.- Life and work :Serenus came either from Antinoeia or from Antinouplis, a city in Egypt founded by Hadrian. Two sources confirm that he was born in Antinouplis...
. He also composed his own unique treatises on mathematics and mathematical science.
Life
Born in Messina of a family of Greek descent who originated in Constantinople, they settled in this Sicilian city after the Fall of ConstantinopleFall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
(1453). Recent studies seem indeed indicate that the family settled in Messina at the end of 14th century (Moscheo). Maurolico received a solid education. His father, Antonio, had been a physician and studied under the famous Hellenic scholar Constantine Lascaris
Constantine Lascaris
Constantine Lascaris was a Greek scholar and grammarian, one of the promoters of the revival of Greek learning in the Italian peninsula, born at Constantinople....
and later became Master of the Messina mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
. The Maurolico family had a villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
outside the city.
In 1521, Maurolico took holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
. In 1550, he entered the Benedictine Order and became a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
at the monastery of Santa Maria del Parto à Castelbuono. Two years later, he was consecrated as abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
at the Cattedrale San Nicolò di Messina.
Accomplishments
Like his father, Maurolico also became head of the Messina mintMint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
and for a time was in charge of maintaining the fortifications of the city on behalf of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
. Maurolico tutored the two sons of Charles' viceroy in Sicily, Juan de Vega
Juan de Vega
Juan de Vega y Enríquez, 6th Señor del Grajal, Viceroy of Navarre , Viceroy and Captain General of Sicily , presidente del Consejo de Castilla, was an ambassador of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He first served as ambassador of Charles V at Rome, where he met Ignatius of Loyola...
, and had the patronage of many rich and powerful men. He also corresponded with scholars such as Clavius and Federico Commandino
Federico Commandino
Federico Commandino was an Italian humanist and mathematician.Born in Urbino, he studied at Padua and at Ferrara, where he received his doctorate in medicine. He translated the works of ancient mathematicians and was responsible for the publication of the works of Archimedes...
. Between 1548 and 1550, Maurolico stayed at the castle of Pollina
Pollina
Pollina is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km east of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,102 and an area of 49.9 km²...
in Sicily as a guest of the marquis Giovanni II Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia (family)
-Origin:The Ventimiglia family originated from the union of Serlone II d'Hauteville, a godson and relative of Ruggero Gran Count of Sicily, and his wife Lady Isabella....
, and utilized the castle tower in order to carry out astronomical observations.
Maurolico's astronomical observations include a sighting of the supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
that appeared in Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (constellation)
Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
in 1572. Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
published details of his observations in 1574; the supernova is now known as Tycho's Supernova.
In 1569, he was appointed professor at the University of Messina
University of Messina
The University of Messina is a public university located in Messina, Italy, and founded in 1548. The university is organized in 11 Faculties.-History:...
.
Works
- Maurolico's Photismi de lumine et umbra and Diaphana concern the refractionRefractionRefraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
of light and attempted to explain the natural phenomenon of the rainbowRainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
. He also studied the camera obscuraCamera obscuraThe camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
. Photismi were completed in 1521, Diaphana first part 1523 , the second and third ones in 1552, but all the material was published posthumously only in 1611.
- His Arithmeticorum libri duo (1575) includes the first known proof by mathematical inductionMathematical inductionMathematical induction is a method of mathematical proof typically used to establish that a given statement is true of all natural numbers...
.
- His De momentis aequalibus (completed in 1548, but first published only in 1685) attempted to calculate the barycenterBarycentric coordinates (astronomy)In astronomy, barycentric coordinates are non-rotating coordinates with origin at the center of mass of two or more bodies.The barycenter is the point between two objects where they balance each other. For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other...
of various bodies (pyramidPyramidA pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
, paraboloidParaboloidIn mathematics, a paraboloid is a quadric surface of special kind. There are two kinds of paraboloids: elliptic and hyperbolic. The elliptic paraboloid is shaped like an oval cup and can have a maximum or minimum point....
, etc.).
- In his Sicanicarum rerum compendium, he presented the history of SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and included some autobiographical details. He had been commissioned to write this work, and in 1553 the Senate of Messina granted him a salary of 100 gold pieces per year for two years so that he could finish this work and his works on mathematics. - His De Sphaera Liber Unus (1575) contains a fierce attack against CopernicusNicolaus CopernicusNicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
' heliocentrism, in which Maurolico writes that Copernicus “deserved a whip or a scourge rather than a refutation”. - Maurolico published a Cosmographia in which he described a methodology for measuring the earth, which was later employed by Jean PicardJean PicardJean-Felix Picard was a French astronomer and priest born in La Flèche, where he studied at the Jesuit Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand. He was the first person to measure the size of the Earth to a reasonable degree of accuracy in a survey conducted in 1669–70, for which he is honored with a...
in measuring length of meridian arcMeridian arcIn geodesy, a meridian arc measurement is a highly accurate determination of the distance between two points with the same longitude. Two or more such determinations at different locations then specify the shape of the reference ellipsoid which best approximates the shape of the geoid. This...
in 1670. - Maurolico published an edition of Aristotle'sAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
Mechanics, and a work on music. He summarized Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum and also wrote Grammatica rudimenta (1528) and De lineis horariis. He made a map of Sicily, which was published in 1575. - Maurolico worked on ancient mathematical texts: Theodosius of BithyniaTheodosius of BithyniaTheodosius of Bithynia was a Greek astronomer and mathematician who wrote the Sphaerics, a book on the geometry of the sphere. Born in Tripolis, in Bithynia, Theodosius is cited by Vitruvius as having invented a sundial suitable for any place on Earth...
, Menelaus of AlexandriaMenelaus of AlexandriaMenelaus of Alexandria was a Greek mathematician and astronomer, the first to recognize geodesics on a curved surface as natural analogs of straight lines.-Life and Works:...
, Autolycus of PitaneAutolycus of PitaneAutolycus of Pitane was a Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer. The lunar crater Autolycus was named in his honour.- Life and work :Autolycus was born in Pitane, a town of Aeolis within Western Anatolia...
, EuclidEuclidEuclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
, Apollonius of PergaApollonius of PergaApollonius of Perga [Pergaeus] was a Greek geometer and astronomer noted for his writings on conic sections. His innovative methodology and terminology, especially in the field of conics, influenced many later scholars including Ptolemy, Francesco Maurolico, Isaac Newton, and René Descartes...
and ArchimedesArchimedesArchimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
. He didn't make new translations, but working on the existing ones, he provided new and sound interpretations of Greek mathematics.
Death and legacy
He died at Messina.The lunar crater Maurolycus
Maurolycus (crater)
Maurolycus is one of the more prominent lunar craters in the southern highland region of the Moon that is covered in overlapping crater impacts. It is joined at the southeast rim by the smaller crater Barocius. Due west lie the overlapping pair of Stöfler and Faraday...
is named after him.
There is a school in Messina with his name.
In 2009 the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage has ordained the establishment of the Edizione nazionale dell'opera matematica di Francesco Maurolico (National Edition of Maurolico's mathematical oeuvre).