Alexander Neckam
FranceBiography of Alexander Neckam
Alexander Neckam, an English theologian, writer, and philosopher, was born on September 8, 1157, in St. Albans. He spent his youth in Paris, where he received his education. From 1180 onwards, he was a professor at the Parisian school of "Petit Pont." Neckam was a prominent encyclopedist of his time and possessed vast erudition in various fields of knowledge.
Life and Works
In 1203, Neckam became an Augustinian monk after writing numerous didactic poems. He authored the "Laus Sapientiae Divinae" or "In Praise of Divine Wisdom," a ten-volume poetic encyclopedia that described the heavens, the seas, the earth's core, the air, animals, plants, and humans. In a condensed version, this work is known as the treatise "De Natura Rerum" or "On the Nature of Things." Neckam translated many pieces of information from Arabic and ancient Greek sources, introducing them into the European scientific discourse. It is in Neckam's works that one of the earliest mentions of the magnetic compass in Europe, and possibly the first, can be found.
Neckam is also known as a writer and the author of fables, which he compiled in collections such as "Novus Aesopus" and "Novus Avianus."
Later Life and Death
In 1213, Neckam became the abbot of a monastery and held this position until his death in 1227. The exact date of his death remains unknown.
