Early Aspects of the "Arabic-Latin Translation Movement" in Medieval Spain: The Letters of Gerbert (d. 1003) as Evidence

The translation movement intimately tied to the great movement of the 12th century, but some researchers devoted much attention to the period before. In his article of 1951, Robert Lopez declared "Still Another Renaissance", and he paid attention to the 10th century as an age of renaissance. In the second half of the tenth century AD, a new phase of relations launched between the Islamic world and Europe. The Iberian Peninsula (Andalusia) was an essential bridge to exchange ideas and cultures through the Mediterranean. In this century, the Arabic sciences were translated and transferred to the Latin culture, especially in the field of mathematics and astronomy. The letters of Gerbert of Aurillac, Pope Sylvester II, stand as a witness of cultural transformation in that period. The French Benedictine monk visited al-Andalus between 967 and 970 A. D, where he studied mathematics, astronomy. In the history of science, he is known as the first transfer and user of Arabic numbers in the framework of Latin culture. However, this issue has been much debated among scholars and historians. This article, thus, is an attempt to shed light on the process of the transmission of Arabic sciences into the medieval West. In this paper as well, we have traced first the origins and early history of this tradition, and subsequently, some remarks on its survival after the tenth century are offered. The starting point for our discussion is of course the information to be found in the scientific works of Gerbert. The conclusion of the present work presents the views of contemporary historians regarding the impact of diplomatic relations between the Islamic world and the West on cultural exchange during the tenth century.