Marcus Manilius

Marcus Manilius ( 1st century ) was the author of a poem in five books called Astronomica or Astronomicon libri V, in which he portrayed the then Astrology comprehensively.

As a person he is nowhere mentioned or referred to in the ancient writings known today. Even his name has only a certain probability: In the older books is the author anonymous, which later give Manilius, Manlius and Mallius to. The poem can be found, however, that the author lived in the time of Emperor Augustus and Tiberius, and a citizen and resident of Rome was. Richard Bentley considers him a small Asiatic Greeks, F. Jacob for a North African. His work has him as of great erudition from, he has studied his subject at the best authors and represents to astronomy (or rather astrology) the time of his current view of time.

Manilius often imitated his predecessor in the didactic poetry Lucretius, whom he resembles in sincerity, originality and the strength to give his dry topic a lively effect. Although his diction contains some idiosyncrasies, his style is metrically correct.

Firmicus Maternus, who wrote in the time of Emperor Constantine I, shows so many similarities with Manilius work that he must have either used or resorted to a common source. Since Firmicus explained except Caesar, Cicero and Fronto hardly a Roman have dealt with the issue, it is even probable that he did not know Manilius work. The last mentioned in the poem event is the defeat of Varus against Arminius in the Battle of Varus in 9 The fifth book was not written before the accession of Tiberius, it seems to be incomplete and was probably never published, especially since it never by subsequent authors is quoted.

The astrological system of the houses (called by Manilius Templa ), connects the human destinies with the zodiac sign ( Zodiac ), was developed over the centuries, but first appears in the Astronomica. The first datable and outdated chart that uses this system is only a little older and dates from about the year 20 BC. Claudius Ptolemy (c. 130-170 ), the father of classical astrology, the system almost completely ignored in his astrological text Tetrabiblos.

Two manuscripts of the Astronomica from the 10th and 11th centuries have survived the time in monasteries (one in Gembloux in Brabant) and are now in Brussels or in the library in Leipzig. The unknown text was, during a break in the Council of Constance, Poggio Bracciolini discovered by the humanists in the city of Konstanz in 1416 or 1417. The editio princeps of the Astronomica has been prepared by the astronomer Regiomontanus on the basis of very damaged manuscripts and published in 1473 in Nuremberg. The text has been examined critically by Joseph Justus Scaliger, whose edition was published for the first time in 1579 in Paris and for the second time in 1600 in Leiden. A much improved edition by Richard Bentley from 1739. Alfred Edward Housman The edition in five volumes from the years 1903 to 1930 is considered authoritative work, while that of GP Goold for the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard, 1977), sometimes referred to as less is considered intimidating.

The Astronomica are mentioned frequently in works of American Horror cars HP Lovecraft and to him in the titling in which he invented Book ( Necronomicon ) have inspired.

The lunar crater Manilius was named after him.

Editions, translations and commentaries

• George P. Goold (ed.): M. Manilii Astronomica, Leipzig 1985.
• Manilius: Astronomica / astrology. Latin / German, trans. and ed. by Wolfgang Rock, Stuttgart, 2008.
• Wolfgang Hübner ( ed.): Manilius " Astronomica ", Book V, Vol 2, Berlin [ ua] 2010.