The Light Ages

The Surprising Story of Medieval Science

De: Seb Falk

Narrado por: Seb Falk

An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk.

Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: These are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks. As medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the passing of the seasons to the stars in the sky, they came to develop a vibrant scientific culture.

In The Light Ages, Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on a tour of medieval science through the eyes of one 14th-century monk, John of Westwyk. Born in a rural manor, educated in England's grandest monastery, and then exiled to a clifftop priory, Westwyk was an intrepid crusader, inventor, and astrologer. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk and travel with him through the length and breadth of England and beyond its shores. On our way, we encounter a remarkable cast of characters: the clock-building English abbot with leprosy, the French craftsman-turned-spy, and the Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Seb Falk (P)2020 Tantor

Good story badly told

Although the narrator is free from a strong accent he is difficult to listen to because of his jerky narration. He reads as if the book was written in phrases with a few complete sentences and his volume falls to the almost inaudible at times. I was anxious to learn from this book but had to struggle to complete even the second chapter. A narrator need not be an actor trying to make the telling more interesting when the author has already done than with excellent authorship.

A deep dive into medieval science

Perhaps deeper than you want. there's like a whole chapter about how to use a medieval astrolabe and I'm glad someone still knows how to do that.My principal takeaway is how heavily astrology drove the progress of medieval astronomy. The author has a nice eye for a telling detail, such as the one monk who was famous for his ability to analyze urine. a good book for a medievalist.

wonderful

I enjoy understanding the history and how astronomy developed. come upstairs especially including the contribution of non-Christian and the side quest of astrology

Especially the High and Late Light Ages

Decades ago, one of my history profs was emphatic about all the lights that were turning on during the early middle ages (aka "dark ages"). He went on and on about people far from Athens and Rome, who had never heard of an Athenian Greek play or a Roman gladiatorial combat, were moving their own cultures forward in so many ways. Falk's presentation picks up on this theme, but focuses mostly on the latter half of the middle ages. He points out what the "luminaries" of the renaissance and industrial revolution missed: the giants that they were standing on were medieval monks and Arabic voices in conversation. I read this book as background for literary history and our modern fascination with magic, but this book will be especially meaningful anyone teaching mathematics or astronomy.

Thought provoking

I wouldn’t really believe that before the enlightenment there was much going on in science, but this book will reveal to you all the amazing works and efforts many people was putting into it. Really amazing.