Robert of Chester
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Robert of Chester (Latin: Robertus Castrensis) was an English Arabist of the 12th century. He translated several historically important books from Arabic to Latin, such as:
- Book on the Composition of Alchemy (Script error: No such module "Lang".): translated in 1144, this was the first book on alchemy to become available in Europe[1]
- Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing (Script error: No such module "Lang".): al-Khwārizmī's book about algebra, translated in 1145[2]
In the 1140s Robert worked in Iberia, where the division of the region between Muslim and Christian rulers resulted in opportunities for interchange between the different cultures. However, by the end of the decade he had returned to England. Some sources identify him with Robert of Ketton (Template:Langx) who was also active as an Arabic-Latin translator in the 1140s.[2] However, Ketton and Chester, while both places in England, are a long way apart. Also, when in Iberia, Robert of Ketton was based in the Kingdom of Navarre, whereas Robert of Chester is known to have worked in Segovia.
See also
Notes
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- ↑ The Arabic Origin of Liber de compositione alchimiae
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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References
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Charles Burnett, ‘Ketton, Robert of (fl. 1141–1157)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. (This is, in effect, a double biography covering both Robert of Ketton and Robert of Chester.)
External links
- [1], complete text online. Translation of Robert of Chester, or Robert of Ketton.
- Pages with script errors
- Arabic–Latin translators
- Translators from Arabic
- 12th-century English writers
- Translators of the Quran into Latin
- Medieval Arabists
- Medieval orientalists
- 12th-century linguists
- 12th-century English scientists
- 12th-century translators
- 12th-century English mathematicians
- 12th-century writers in Latin