English: Graph of planetary movements, given as an illustration to a short appendix, titled
De cursu per zodiacum, to a copy of Macrobius' Commentary on Cicero's
Somnium Scipionis.
This is an early 2-dimensional chart (plotting time vs. celestial latitude; an apparent anomaly is that it appears to show the celestial latitude of the sun varying with time); apparently, this diagram has precedents, in the Carolingian "Handbook of 809" and even in Bede (Ramirez-Weaver 2008).
The scribe used horizontal and vertical lines as aids, resulting in a picture strikingly similar to modern graph paper as it did not become commonly used before the mid 19th century, some 800 years later.
CLM 14436, a convolute of four mss. of the first quarter of the 11th century (formerly also dated to the late 10th century), substantial portions are written by one Hartwic.
The contents reflect the subject matter taught at the large French monastery schools at the time.
Hartwic may be identical with the later abbot of St. Emmeram in Regensburg; he studied in Chartres under bishop Fulbert, and this manuscript are presumably his "lecture notes" which he produced in Chartres and later took back to his home monastery of St. Emmeram. The ms. remained in possession of St. Emmeram monastery until 1811, when it was acquired by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.
Literature:
- S. Günther, "Die Anfänge und Entwickelungsstadien des Coordinatenprincipes", Abhandlungen der naturhistorischen Gesellschaft zu Nürnberg VI (1877) p. 19
- H. G. Funkhouser, "A note on a tenth century graph", Osiris 1 (1936), 260-262.
- Peter Vossen, Der Libellus Scolasticus Des Walther Von Speyer: Ein Schulbericht Aus Dem Jahre 984, Walter de Gruyter, 1962, p. 179.
- James R. Beniger and Dorothy L. Robyn (1978). "Quantitative graphics in statistics: A brief history", The American Statistician 32 (1978), 1–11.
- Eric M. Ramirez-Weaver, Carolingian Innovation and Observation in the Paintings and Star Catalogs of Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, Ms. 3307, 2008, p. 203