Demetrius Chalcondyles

Demetrius Chalcondyles

Demetrius Chalcocondyles or Demetrios Chalcocondylis or Chalcocondylas or Chalcondyles (1423 – 1511), born in Athens, was one of the most eminent Greek scholars in the West. He contributed also to Italian Renaissance literature. He was associated with Marsilius Ficinus, Angelus Politianus, and Theodorus Gaza in the revival of letters in the Western world. One of his pupils at Florence was the famous Johann Reuchlin. Demetrius belonged to one of the noblest Athenian families. He was a first cousin of the chronicler of the fall of Constantinople, Laonicus Chalcondyles, and the last of the Greek humanists who taught Greek literature at the great universities of the Italian Renaissance (Padua, Florence, Milan).

Life

He was from the Peloponnisos, where his Athenian family had moved after its persecution by the Florentine dukes. He was brought to Italy in 1447 by Cardinal Bessarion and arrived at Rome in 1449, where he became the student of Gaza and,later gained the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, serving as a tutor to his sons. Chalcondylas spent the rest of his life as a teacher of Greek and philosophy at Perugia, Padua, Rome, Florence, and Milan. In 1463 he was made professor at Padua and later, in 1479 at Francesco Philelpho's suggestion, he took over the place of Ioannis Argyropoulos, as the head of the Greek Literature department and was summoned by Lorenzo de Medici to Florence. It was during his tenure at the Studium in Florence that Chalcondyles edited Homer for publication. He assisted Marsilio Ficino with his Latin translation of Plato. His edition of Homer, dedicated to Lorenzo, Piero de' Medici's son, is his major accomplishment. Finally, invited by Ludovico Sforza, he moved to Milan (1491/1492), where he taught until he died.

Work

He wrote in Ancient Greek the grammar handbooks "Summarized Questions of the Eight Parts of Word After Their Rules" (Ερωτήματα Συνοπτικά Τον Οκτώ Του Λόγου Μερών Μετά Τινών Κανόνων). He translated Galen's "Anatomy" into Latin.

As a scholar, Chalcondyles published the "editio princeps" of Homer, ('Ομήρου τα Σωζόμενα', Florence, 1488), Isocrates, (Milan, 1493) and the "Suda" (Σούδα), the Byzantine lexicon (1494).

*Greek Grammar, edited 1546 by Melchior Volmar in Basel
*Latin translation of the "Anatomical Procedures" of Galen, edited and published in 1529 by Jacopo Berengario da Carpi
*1488, "editio princeps" of Homer's "Ilias" and "Odyssey", "Poiesis Hapasa", edited by Bernardus Nerlius and Demetrius Chalcondylas, appeared in Florence, not before 13 January 1489, in two folio volumes. It was the first Greek book to be printed in Florence. The Greek type used to print the 1488-89 Homer is believed to have been cast by the Cretan Demetrius Damilas from the type that he had used to print Constantinus Lascaris’ "Erotemata" (Milan, 1476), the first book to be printed entirely in Greek, based upon the hand of Damilas’s fellow scribe Michael Apostolis.

References

*1911
*Proctor, "the Printing of Greek in the Fifteenth-Century", pp. 66-69.

ee also

*Byzantine scholars in Renaissance


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Demetrius Chalcondyles — ▪ Italian professor born 1424, Athens [Greece] died 1511, Milan [Italy]       Renaissance teacher of Greek and of Platonic philosophy.       In 1447 Demetrius went to Italy, where Cardinal Bessarion became his patron. He was made professor at… …   Universalium

  • Demetrius Chalcondylas — Démétrius Chalcondyle Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle (Démétrios, Chalcocondylas, Chalcondyles …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Démétrius Chalcondylas — Démétrius Chalcondyle Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle (Démétrios, Chalcocondylas, Chalcondyles …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Démétrius Chalcondyle — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle. Démétrius Chalcondyle (Démétrios, Chalcocondylas, Chalcondyles …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Demetrius Chalcondylas — (1423 ndash;1511) was a Greek exile in Italy, and a humanist scholar of the Italian Renaissance.Demetrius belonged to one of the noblest Athenian families. He was a first cousin of the chronicler of the fall of Constantinople, Laonikos… …   Wikipedia

  • Laonicus Chalcondyles — Laonicus (Laonikos) Chalcondyles (or Chalcocondylas, Greek: Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης) (c. 1423 ndash; 1490) was a Byzantine Greek scholar from Athens. The name is probably an anagram of Nicolaos. He was a Byzantine historian, son of Georgios and… …   Wikipedia

  • Laonicus Chalcondyles — (en griego: Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης, de λαός gente , νικᾶν ser victorioso ) (1423 – 1490) fue un griego ateniense, cronista del Renacimiento. Referencias La obra histórica de Laonicus Chalcocondyles fue primero publicada en 1615 por J. B. Baumbach …   Wikipedia Español

  • Laonicos Chalcondyles — Laonicus Chalcondyle Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chalcondyle. Laonicus Chalcondyle (parfois Laonikos, Laonique, Chalcocondylas, Chalcondyles, Chalkokondilès..., en grec: Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης) (Athènes, vers 1423 – 1490) fut un érudit et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Laonicus Chalcondyles — Laonicus Chalcondyle Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chalcondyle. Laonicus Chalcondyle (parfois Laonikos, Laonique, Chalcocondylas, Chalcondyles, Chalkokondilès..., en grec: Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης) (Athènes, vers 1423 – 1490) fut un érudit et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • History of Athens — The Acropolis of Athens by Leo von Klenze Athens is one of the oldest named cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for at least 7000 years. Situated in southern Europe, Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece in the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”