IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 3 Issue 3, March 2016. www.ijiset.com ISSN 2348 – 7968 The Intermediary Role of The Arabs During The Middle Ages In The Transmission Of Ancient Scientific Knowledge To Europe Prof. Dr. Luisa María Arvide Cambra Department of Philology.University of Almería. Almería. Spain Abstract One of the most important roles of the Islamic civilization is that of having transmitted the Ancient 2.Translators from Greek into Arabic culture to the European Renaissance through the process of translation into Arabic of scientific There were two great schools of translation knowledge of Antiquity, i.e. the Sanskrit, the Persian, from Greek into Arabic: that of the Christian the Syriac, the Coptic and, over all, the Greek, during th th Nestorians of Syria and that of the Sabeans of the 8 and 9 centuries. Later, this knowledge was Harran [4]. enriched by the Arabs and was transferred to Western Europe thanks to the Latin translations made in the 12th and 13th centuries. This paper analyzes this 2.1.The Nestorians process with special reference to the work done by - Abu Yahyà Sa‘id Ibn Al-Bitriq (d. circa 796- the most prominent translators. 806). He was one of the first translators from Keywords: Medieval Arabic Science, Arabian Greek into Arabic. To him it is attributed the Medicine, Scientific Knowledge in Medieval Islam, translation of Hippocrates and the best writings Transmission of Scientific Knowledge in the Middle by Galen as well as Ptolomy´s Quadripartitum. Ages, Medieval Translators - Abu Zakariya’ Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh (777- 857), a pupil of Jibril Ibn Bakhtishu’. He is one 1.Introduction of the most characteristic authors of science at that time. Educated in the School of Jundishapur One of the most important roles of the Islamic in Persia, his knowledge is a combination of civilization is that of having transmitted the Hellenistic elements, Christian ideas and Ancient culture to the European Renaissance practical recipes from Orient whose result was through the process of translation into Arabic of to combine alchemy, medicine and astrology. scientific knowledge of Antiquity, i.e. the He was also translator of Greek scientific works Sanskrit, the Persian, the Syriac, the Coptic and, and belonged to Bayt al-Hikma, of which he over all, the Greek, during the 8th and 9th became the head-director. Too, he practised as centuries [1]. Later, this knowledge was physician in the caliphate court where he stood enriched by the Arabs and was transferred to out as a specialist in dietetics. According to his Western Europe thanks to the Latin translations biographers, his oeuvre is very extensive, since made in the 12th and 13th centuries [2]. he wrote nearly forty works, but they have only Many works by Aristotle, Plato, Dioscorides, been preserved in Arabic about ten titles, Galen, Ptolomy, Hippocrates, etc. were known although the Latin versions are most numerous. thanks to the Latin versions made on the basis - Hunayn ben Ishaq Al-‘Ibadi (808-873), known of the Arabic translations since the original texts amongst the Latins as Johannitius. He is the were lost. In this process of spreading the main mediator between ancient Greek Hellenistic science, Caliph Al-Ma’mun played a knowledge and Arabic world. Hunayn is very relevant role because he founded at credited with a huge number of translations, Baghdad in 830 the famous Bayt al-Hikma (The ranging from medicine, philosophy, astronomy, House of Wisdom) where whole this labour was mathematics to magic and oneiromang. His conducted. Arabic translation of the Old Testament was The Medieval philosophical and scientific regarded as the best one among other literature written in Arabic entailed so an renderings. So far as his versions are conserved, important link between the Ancient cultures, they can help in establishing the Greek text specially the Greek, and the Renaissance of inasmuch as Hunayn had the Greek manuscripts Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries [3]. at his disposal. These versions represent a valuable alternative to some writings that are 422 IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 3 Issue 3, March 2016. www.ijiset.com ISSN 2348 – 7968 lost. Thanks to the sure, clear and precise grandsons, Thabit ben Sinan ben Thabit and translations made by Johannitius of the works of Ibrahim ben Sinan ben Thabit. Hippocrates and Galen, the Arab physicians in the Middle Ages became the meritorious The Arabs learned and assimilated all this successors of the Greeks. He was born in Hira scientific knowledge. Later, as we shall see, in 808 in the bosom of a Nestorian family and they increased its importance with great studied medicine in Baghdad under Ibn contributions and transmitted it to Europe of Masawayh, who was then director of Bayt al- Renaissance [6]. Hikma (The House of Wisdom). He combined his activity as translator with that of author of books on diverse subjects, specially about 3. Translators from Arabic into Latin ophthalmology. When he died in 873, he was head doctor at the court of the caliph Al- Late 11th century and during the 12th and 13th Mutawakkil. He translated, alone or with the centuries, the Greek-Arabic science was help of his colleagues, among whom were his translated from Arabic into Latin and was son Ishaq ben Hunayn and his nephew Hubaysh passed to all over Western Europe where was ben Al-Hassan, a lot of Greek works, such as for imposed as the predominant knowledge. This example: a large part of the Hippocratic corpus, labour was made in several schools of writings of Galen and Oribasius, the Seven translation in North-Western Africa, Sicilia and Books of Paul of Egina, the Republic of Plato as mostly Spain where was founded the famous well as the Categories, Physics and Magna translators school of Toledo, sponsored by Moralia of Aristotle, etc. He also reviewed the Archbishop Raymond of Toledo (1126-1152), Arabic translation of the five treatises by in which various generations of translators Dioscorides named Materia Medica made by flourished, since about 1135 until 1284, and to Istifan ben Basil, which was the basis of the which important scholars attended coming from medieval Islamic pharmacopoeia. He also was several parts of Europe, including the British an important author and wrote some books, Islands in whose school Michael Scot and among them we can cite his famous Isagoge, Robert of Chester were working [7]. which later was translated into Latin as Isagoge Among the first translators, we can cite to: Johannitii, anonymous. Gerbert, Hermann Contract and Constantine the - Qusta ben Luqa (860-912), philosopher, African. physician, astronomer and mathematician as Among the translators of the renowned School well translator of Greek works, mainly writings of Toledo, we have: John of Seville, Gundisalvi, of astronomy, mathematics, mechanics and Robert of Rétine, Hermann the Dalmatian, natural science. In the field of medicine he Abraham the Jewish, Plato de Tibur, Adelard of translated, for example, the catalogue of Galen's Bath, Gerard of Cremone, Rodolphe of Bruges, books. Daniel of Morlay, Marcus of Toledo, Guillaume of Morbeke, Alfred the British, King Alphonse The Syriac language was at first the initial X the Wise, Judas ben Moshe, Aben Ragel the meeting point between Hellenism and Islam [5]. Alkibitius, Raby Sag, Samuel Lévy of Toledo, Etienne of Antioch and Philip of Tripoli. 2.2. The Sabeans And, in Europe, including Sicilia, there are: They were interested mainly in astronomy and Michael Scot, Robert of Chester, Hermann le mathematics. Thabit ben Qurrah (826-901) is German, Manfred, Etienne of Messina, Faragut the most important translator of this school. or Fararius, Armengaud, Arnauld of Villeneuve, During caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil his town Grumer of Plaisance, John of Montroyal, Simon became the seat of a school of philosophy and of Gênes, Ferranus, John of Brescia, Raymond medicine transferred from Alexandria to of Monacade, Patavinus, Faraj ben Salim, Antioch. It is attributed to him and his disciples Jambolinus of Cremone, Drogon, Accurse, the translation of many Greek works about Franchinus, Guillaume of Tripoli, Alphonse astronomy and mathematics, included those of Bonhomme and Ange of Saint-Joseph. Archimedes, Apollonius of Parga, Pappus, Among the French cities which deserve to be Nicomaco, Autolycus, Theodosio, Polomy, etc. mentioned there are: Marseille, where Raymond He also reviewed the translation made by in 1140 traced the planetary tables based on Hunayn about the books of Euclides. The those of Toledo; Toulouse, where Hermann the Caliph Al-Mu´tadid (892-902) was his Dalmatian completed in 1143 the translation of Maecenas and his friend. Belonging to a famous Al-Majriti on Ptolomy´s Planisphaerium; family of scholars, the Banu Qurrah, his job was Narbonne, where Abraham ben Ezra translated continued by his son, Sinan ben Thabit, and his in 1160 Al-Biruni´s Commentary on Al- 423 IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 3 Issue 3, March 2016. www.ijiset.com ISSN 2348 – 7968 Khwarizmi´s tables; and Montpellier, which in medendi cum instrumentis ad omnes fere morbis the 13th century became the capital of the depictes. medical and astronomical studies in France, and Al-Zahrawi´s Kitab al-tasrif is an encyclopedic where its director Peter the Venerable sponsored work about medical theory and practice divided in 1141 the first Latin translation of the Coran. into