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Corpus of Arabic-Latin translations — Robert of Chester

1145 AD · Transmission: Global
MathematicsAstronomyTranslationBritish

A 12th-century English Arabist known as Robertus Castrensis, Robert of Chester built his translating career in mid-12th-century Christian Iberia. In Segovia he completed the first Latin translation known of an Arabic alchemical treatise (1144) and, in 1145, the first Latin version of al-Khwarizmi's algebra (Liber algebrae et almucabola), which introduced the term "algebra" into Western vocabulary and gave rise, via its opening line "Dicit Algoritmi", to the modern term "algorithm". He also completed, with Pedro the Venerable's commission, the first Latin translation of the Quran (1143).

Historical regionSegovia, Kingdom of Castile — with prior activity in Barcelona and the Ebro valley
Primary sourceColophon of the manuscript of the translation of al-Khwarizmi's algebra, ed. Karpinski 1915
Secondary sourceEncyclopedia.com; Busard, H.L.L. and Folkerts, M. (1992)
Original languageArabic / Latin
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