HIST 421 Chapter Notes - Chapter reading: Marcellus Empiricus, Middle Ages, The Tradition
Document Summary
The common tradition of magic was by no means uniform and varied from time to time and place to place. The rise of the courts as cultural centers around the 12th century brought something new, which existed alongside the older forms of magic. Rise of a new kind of learning that included scientific astrology and alchemy. The tradition incorporated elements of classical lore: remedies from pliny or marcellus empiricus for example which were medieval leechbooks. The people who studied astrology and alchemy in the 12 century and following centuries would not have not of themselves as magicians. Practitioners saw themselves engaged in natural magic. There were two major factors that affected intellectual life in the later middle ages. The rise of universities out of earlier cathedral schools. The places that provided systematic education in a variety of subjects were monasteries. From the 11th century it was schools attached to cathedrals that fostered the most advancement in learning.
