If on the one hand there are various representations concerning constellations in the romance
churches around the XII century, on the other one none representation on a solar eclipse has been
recognised in the capitals.This is the presentation of our findings.
Along the way that from Cortazzone to Montafia, just a little further the main cross , there is a little
street on the right inside that drives to a large square where a XII century isolated romance country
church stands.
This place, that is named "Mongiglietto", is at 750 ft a.s.l. at 8°3' longitude east and 44°59' latitude
north. The excellent conservation of this monument is due to the fact that it has become to function,
at that time, as a burial church for the village, moved close to the castle on the foreground hill. The
result was that non restructurations and modifications has been carried out in the XVII-XVIII
century like in other many cases occurred.
The most significant figurations are those representing peacocks, fishes, dragon's head and tail,
Arthur, star of Job.
Getting into the church and looking to the right inside, it is visible a capital with one flower and two
converse peacocks with one head ( frame 1).
Looking to the left inside it is possible to see on the first capital one rabbit and one kid and on the
second one fish placed transversally above two crossed peacock's tails (frame 2).
The hypothesis of a solar eclipse has been suggested by the representation on the first capital :
namely two converse peacocks with one head.
Something should have happened as the peacock, while showing himself in the full beauty of the
wheel , could represent, in certain circumstances, the symbolic meaning of particular and notable
events.
An amazing and rare event, like a full solar eclipse is, could be symbolised by the peacock's wheel
but the representation of the peacock in churches is a quite usual subject indeed. For example it can
to be founded in Ravenna and in the "Ruggero's room" in Palermo.
In the municipal museum of Pavia there is a "longobard slate" ( second half of the VIII century) that
for the topic of this essay is as important as the Cortazzone's capitals. If two converse peacocks with
one head figure a solar eclipse, then two peacocks that cross their tail each other, as shown on the
four sides of the second capital on the left inside, represent consequently the lunar eclipse- in fact the
two peacock's heads are turned to diametrically opposite sides.(frame 2)
It has not been difficult to individualise the eclipse as there are several computer programs that can
easily carry out such historical researches. For the aims of this essay "Voyager II 1.0" (Carina
Software) has been used .for the star maps and "Eclipse 3.40" (Shareware for Win 95 by M.
Menichelli) to draw the eclipse's centrality line and to calculate its elements.
Instead it has not been easy to find and to date the one that was represented in S.Secondo's capitals.
In fact, the most common mistake in this kind of research, in a methodological context, is to project
on ancient document a knowledge whose origin is not the document itself or other from the same
period and nature.
In the third capital on the left inside exactly on the side turned to outside, it is visible a terrifying
creature with a prominent head and tail, under the tail a face is rough-cast and on the right a circular
shaped body is visible. This side is not completed and it could be for two reasons : in first instance it
could not have been finished or in second instance it could have been damaged or destroyed
deliberately.
On the edge of the side, the creature's head seems to transform itself into an horse's one ; under
these figures it is possible to see both a serpent's and a woman's heads, on which the creature's feet
lean.
The meaning of this capital's side become evident when the Cortazzone's sky during the eclipse on
January the 26th 1153 is examined (frame 4). The chart of eclipse centrality line shows that Cortazzone was
situated within that line as well as this eclipse was visible in most of northern Italy.
Between the two programs there is a lack of more than 30 minutes in the calculation of maximum
phase's moment and the representation on the third capital (frame 3) is more conform to the simulation
elaborated by Voyager II rather than that of other programs.
The creature on the capital is the dragon's constellation and the tail is culminating at the meridian
together with one star from the Cifeo's constellation(frame 4). On the right side of the sight it is possible to
observe on the same meridian of Mars one star from the dragon's head (gamma Draconis) (frame 6).
It is undoubted that this side of the capital represents the maximum phase of the eclipse, calculated
through a scientific observation, carried out with instruments, rather than what has been really seen
at Cortazzone. Dragon's and Cepheus stars are invisible to eye sight. The stars on the left of the
meridian are Pegasus Andromeda and Pisces and Cassiopea constellation is above Andromeda (7).
The Auriga constellation is just above the horizon together with the stars from Taurus constellation
as shown in (10).
It is possible to observe (4) that on the right there are Bifolco and Arturo constellations and the latter
is setting down.
Concerning the intensity Arturo was the most bright among all the aforesaid stars and probably was
the one to be seen in the darkening sky.
Accordingly, assuming that Arturo appears eight times in the edges and corner sides of two different
capitals, it can be stated that this church is dedicated to celebrate the Arturo's appearance during a
total solar eclipse.
Furthermore, if the face carved in portal's arch close to a peacock represents exactly the star of Job,
there will be no doubts that this star has was visible, while setting down, during the eclipse.
From the comparison between the capital side(3) and the star map (4), it is possible to see that both
the Dragon's head and tail, as well as Cefeo and Mars are represented.
Others stars such as those from Tauri and Auriga, already raised, were located in the east part of the
sky and therefore they should have been represented in the left part of this side ( of the capital) if the
communicative intention was simply to show all the stars visible during the maximal darkness phase.
However, the intention of the author was to communicate the precise moment of maximal darkness
during the total eclipse ; in order to do so, he gave as signal the two stars that cross the meridian
simultaneously (in this context represented by the Dragon's tail and head set at the centre of the
engrave) when "the head of the Dragon" (gamma Draconis) and Mars, even those on the same
meridian, were passed ( in the engrave on the right the head of the Dragon and the circular object in
3).
Proceeding the analysis of the corner side, the "terrifying transformation" of the head of the Dragon
into a horse's one has the meaning of the moment in which the Sun is completely re-appeared
making all the stars invisible again. This moment coincides with the passage of Pegasus through the
meridian and in coincidence with Caput Serpentis set and the passage of a star under the Dragon,
named "a Ursae majoris".
The figuration therefore represents what has been argued and deducted from the knowledge of a star
map rather than what has been really seen : that is due to the complete Sun appearance.
It could be a matter of debate whether or not the author would have meant to point, by this
representation, the moment of the last contact that can be calculated but not observed.
The capital does not describe the story of the eclipse but it is a representation through a model -a
map of what it has been seen at that time.
In these terms, this is a procedure of scientific communication that is susceptible of control rather
than a detailed story of a vision told through mediaeval imagination.
So it can hypothesised that there was a well educated person in that area at that time ; it could be
possible to receive confirmation of his presence through the rare sources available concerning a
possible eminent scholar, expert in astronomy, living in the area or maybe a person accused of being
magician or a fellow of Federico II expedition in Italy and in Piemonte (the nobles from Cortazzone
were allied of the German emperor).
Proceeding the analysis of the next side, two horses are represented in a mirror image on the
horizontal axis, whereas on the vertical one a fish on the top and a female face at the bottom are
carved.
The time of what is represented is consequent to Pegasus passage on the meridian and, in correlation
with the passing time, two crossed tails are lean in the centre of the side ; this is what it can be seen
when a horse has already moved through the observer's sight.
The fish on the top does not represent the Pisces constellation but it means that of Cetus, as well as
the female face represents Cassiopea that goes through the meridian together with beta Ceti (see star
map at 9).
It should be reminded that Cassiopea is the wife of Cefeo, represented in the former side of the
capital, and she is mother of Andromeda, whose presence is visible on the side turned to east in the
same capital as bicaudal mermaid.
In (8) the muzzle of the right horse leans upon a reverse bull head and ends on the edge of the side.
The capsizing bull's head is similar to the represented sequence of moments ; it does do so through
the sequence of representations. In fact, on the preceding edge, Pegasus' head is on the upper part
and it means the passage on the meridian, then in the centre of the side the horses are represented in
a subsequent time as well as, accounting on the temporal sequence, the head of Pegasus on this edge
of the side cannot mean passage on the meridian but set and the reverse head designate a star from
the Taurus constellation that culminates when Pegasus sets down, namely zeta Tauri as shown in (10).
It passes a little bit after Capella and a little before beta Aurigae ( two stars that pass very close to
Cortazzone's zenith).
It is possible that the kid, represented in the first capital on the left (14), could be one of the Kids,
namely the way in which the stars from Auriga constellation were called (being Capella the most
bright star and the name of the goat that fed Zeus).
The images of the third capital are not referred to a irrational and mythic form of culture but they are
the proof of a scientific and communicative procedure of observation. The cultural meaning of such a
representation in the church, in correlation with that of the fish and peacocks, is another matter of
debate.
However the eclipse symbolised by the peacocks (1) is not the same of the one represented in the
third capital : in fact, the former refers to the one of March 20th 1140, visible in Cortazzone but
slighly smaller.
The points, as little nuggets, are delimited by two separated triangles whose tops are opposed and,
imagining them as the two parts of a sandglass, they designate the moment of the event : 15h52mpm.
The day and the month are communicated through two figuration : one on the north side and one on
the east side of the right capital. The outstanding event of peacocks occurred in the year in which :
three months from the start of the year (three shells) passed, eleven days after the day from the
eclipse (eleven points in a little triangle close to a ring around a sphere)and the Palm Sunday (a sheaf
of palms (11).
In the close side there is a representation of a Sun with eighteen rays falcated between two fishes:
then the sun raised between Pisces at 18°.
In that year the Palm Sunday was on the 31st of March and the Christian Eastern occurred the
following Sunday on April the 7th and the eclipse on March the 20th. It is not therefore difficult to
calculate the year :1140.
These two eclipses, whose the observer (a monk or an astronomist) was witness, are represented in
the church because, as we think, they remind the memory of other two eclipses narrated in form of
vision in the Apocalypse.
It is surprising that on March 20th of 71 A.C. the sun went to dark completely on the skies of Efesus
and Patmos and Patmos was the island in which the author of the Apocalypse was deported.
The chronological system in S.Secondo.
The particularity of this church, in reason of symbolic representations of the capitals concerning the
two eclipses, becomes more evident if we account for the didactic intention of communicating all the
cosmological knowledge on which all the events, told in the history of salvation, can be situated in
the time according to cosmology of the Christian "era". It is possible to find the useful information in
the crown of the southern little apse, in the differently decorated six little arches and in the
sixteen wolf teeth in its basement (12).
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The crown is made by two slates on which the number 72 in the first one and the number 66 in the
second and both are pointed in the typical "damier" structure of triangular cut numbers.
Both numbers are relevant in the archaic cosmology. 72 years are necessary to the sky pole to reach
an arch of 1° around the pole of the ecliptic whose declination was believed to be 66°.
As on the crown the number 72 is before the other, the following question arises : what happened 72
years before that the sky pole would have performed a precise arch of 66° ? What is it individualised
by this "time" ?
As the longitudinal values of a star from a Pisces constellation are pointed out on the second capital
on the left, it could be not strange to think that this star from Pisces, with respect to the origin
assumed for the counting of the time, could mean the spring equinox, precisely 72 year before that
the precession value would reach the measure of 66°.
Nevertheless, this information does not let us to find the date according to our chronology, if the
lack of time, necessary to reach the 31st of December 1 B.C. at midnight or rather midnight of
January the 1st 1 A.C, is simultaneously indicated.
If we transfer the elements of the little apse in a table it is possible to find the answer.
Six are the little hanging arches, just under the "Damier" crown, sixteen are the wolf teeth at the base
of this little apse. None other element can be taken into account as not being in the structural axis.
What we can write can have the following sequence : or years, months and days or months, days and
hours.
The first sequence is not acceptable and for the second a numeric element, that should be calculated,
is missing. This document, being turned to experts rather than persons that still need to learn the
forms of cosmological wisdom, requires that the question are put in the correct order, step by step,
as well other documents of similar nature.
If we want to find how many months days and hours there are since from the time a Piscium pointed
the spring equinox up to December the 31st 1 B.C. at midnight, the needed months will be more than
22 (6+16). That is possible only if somebody is able to carry out a simple observation of the sky and
the longitudinal distances between certain stars are known.
The desired value therefore is the following :
22,0 months + 16 days + 6 hours.
This implies that the last new moon of the 1 B.C. occurred around December the 14th or 15th and the first of the 1 A.C
was around January the 28th.
Proceeding in a different way it could result shorten and easier. First the lack of time between the last
new moon of 1 B.C. and December the 31st at midnight should be calculated (16 days and 6 hours).
Secondly the amount of months from the start of the Pisces "era" up to this new moon should be
founded ( 1320 months or 22,0).
In the southern little apse it is defined that the longitude of a Piscium coincides with the vernal point
when the precession arch reaches 65°;
it is located 22,0 months, 16 days and 6 hours far from
Decamber the 31st 1 B.C. at midnight.
Through this procedure the possibility of transforming every
date from the Christian cosmology into longitudinal values of a Piscium is guaranteed. In other
words the Christian "era" has been matched with the "era" of Pisces.
The lunar eclipse, designated by the peacocks that cross their tails, pointed out by the longitude of
a Piscium of 17°19'31''19''' (13) and corresponding to the time of 15428,5 average lunar months,
is that of August 19th 1141 A.C. ; the value of the distance of the lunar raising node P°, is around
170°,37.
It was probably visible in Cortazzone in its early phase when the moon was setting down. We are
therefore in condition of a solar eclipse (unseen in Cortazzone) if we give the P° value in the
following new moon. With respect to this information on the edge of that capital the only head of the
two peacocks is represented ; its spatial position allows to hypothesise that both sun and moon were
under the line of the horizon.
This is something that has been only calculated and not observed.
In order to find the date of full moon of August 19th 1141 the arch of longitude has been transformed
in a number of average lunar months. This kind of information was not available from the symbolic
system of the little southern apse.
If the equivalence between the precession arch and the corresponding average lunar months is
known, it is possible calculate the amount of time (expressed in lunar months) from the origin in the
Twins up to when Piscium signs the spring equinox.
How many average lunar months are there during the time in which the sky pole does an arch of 66°
namely 4752 years ?
For us it could be an easy problem to be resolved but during the 12th century it
was not that easy and, above all, the current values for the tropic year and the average sinodic
month, would not have been used explicitly but at the end they could have reached the same result !
The months corresponding to 1° of precession (72 years) are 890,5 and it is a number that in
sessagesimale notation is expressed by 14, 50 ; 30 months.
It is surprising to find the indication of lunar months, equivalent to 72 years ( = 1° of precession),
just on the little arch in connection with the fourth group of 18 units which sum with others is
exactly 72. On the little arch there are 14 rhombi and 36 points by which the former expression can
be obtained ( 36+14=50 and 30=66-36) (12). Nevertheless it appears easier to carve on the little arch 36
point rather than 50.
The total amount of months are equal, in days, to 72 Julian years less one day :
1° of precession = 72 years
(72 x 365,25-1) days = 890,5 months
and therefore 4752 Julian years correspond to
(66 x 72 x 365,25 - 66) days = 66 x 890,5 months.
With this information it is possible to answer to the aforesaid question concerning the lunar months
corresponding to an arch of precession of 66° and 4752 tropic years.
At this stage is essential to know the difference between the sidereus year and the tropic one of the
sun and how much the Julian year could be lower or higher with respect to these two periods. In the
archaic culture the difference between tropic and sidereus is called Thunderbolt, Lightning is the
difference between the sidereus year and the Julian one and Thunder is that between the Julian year
and the tropic one.
A superficial knowledge about the Greek mythology shows that these terms designated the powers
of Zeus who reigns the time sitting on the throne in the skies.
If we look at the Bible in the book of
Exodus 19,16-19 it is written : " during the third day, at the sunrise, Thunders and Lightning, a
dense cloud on the mountain and a strong sound of trumpet... Moses was speaking and God was
answering with a Thunder".
If we read Apocalypse IV, 5 it is written : " and from the throne
Lightning come out as well as voices and Thunder...".
This kind of quotation just to point out that a common language, around the wisdom concerning the
Universe, was in use among many different ethic and religious traditions.
Thunderbolt Lightning and Thunder.
The thunderbolt is a meteorological phenomenon that is in connection with a Lightning and with a
strong sound called Thunder.
As in the context of empirical experience the Thunderbolt seems to be constituted by Lightning and
Thunder, in the same way the aforesaid terms are used to mean a measurement of quantity, namely
the sum of two other measures.
Due to the precession and the movement of the Sky pole around the pole of the ecliptic the time that
the sun takes to come back to equinox point (called tropic year) is lower to the one that it takes to
come back to the same point on the Sky sphere (called sidereus year). This difference between tropic
and sidereus is the first measure to be known in order to calculate the time but it is not enough. As
the sidereus year is slightly higher to the Julian year of 365.25 days, and the former is slightly higher
to the tropic one, the knowledge of these values enables to correct the error that results in the
calculations involving long periods and using the Julian year instead of the tropic one.
The first difference is the Thunderbolt and Lightning and Thunder are the second and the third.
Rather than saying that 1488 years have passed it is possible to say that 21 days have passed because
1488(As - At) = 21 days.
Then if we want to point out a N of years, it is possible to calculate the Thunderbolt of n through a
proposition :
N x 21/1488 days.
In the same way, if the correlation of the difference between Julian
and tropic year for a given amount of years is known, the Thunder of N will be given by N x Y/K.
Generally Y is equal to 78 days and K 10000 years or other two couples proportional to Y and K
can be accounted.
From this explanations we can admire the genial communicative ability of the person who had in
mind the figuration of the southern little apse, the person who was researching the way to write the
correlation between the Thunderbolt and Thunder through the position of numeric and symbolic
elements (not already fully decoded).
We have already seen that within 72 Julian years less one day there are 14, 50 ; 30 months in
sessagesimal notation.
The hanging arch on which there are 14 rhombi and 36 points ends on a false
capital that holds a node. In this context the symbol of the node is referred to the revolution of lunar
nodes, which period is expressed by a relation typical of the archaic cosmology and impossible to be
founded in any astronomical manual.
Nowadays the period of revolution of nodes is communicated saying that it occurs every 18,6 years.
The archaic cosmology, as illustrated in other papers, communicates another information in which
the former relation is embedded. The numeric elements for the nodal symbol are those of the triple
rose of 4, 8,16 tips. This is an easy geometric progression to be memorised.
In the mean time the sky pole makes an arch of 4°8', 16 revolutions of lunar nodes happen and the
difference between sidereus year and tropic one for the same period is 4 ; 4 plus 8 days.
This is a law that govern the calculation of time and its expression ; its numeric terms could seem
apparently different as it appears in the following relationship :
20°40' of precession comprehend 80
revolutions of the nodes, 21 days of "Thunderbolt difference" for 1488 years.
What we have seen in the little apse is the 1/5, it would have been difficult to carve a triple rose with
20, 40 and 80 tips.
The next step is to hypothesise a possible relationship for the "Thunder difference". On the hanging
arch above the three roses are indicated three groups of five units each. As the difference between
Julian year and tropic one is very little we cannot sum the terms but rather to multiply them
5 x 5 x 5 = 125 years
the "Thunder difference" is given by
0 ; 72 - 14,66 - 36 days = 0 ; 58, 30 days.
The relationship is the one that results from devising by 80 the classic relation that states : the
difference between Julian year and tropic one amounts, every 10.000 years, to 78 days or to a
triangular number measuring 12 on the side (= 12x13/2).
It should be noted that the spatial distribution of the elements is co-ordinated to the sequence of
questions that we asked ourselves. The arch representing the months is under the last group of cut
triangular numbers of the first slate. The symbol of the node is situated on the false capital of the
little arch. In between there is the triple rose for the corresponding arch of precession, the number of
revolutions of the lunar nodes and the corresponding difference between the sidereus year and the
tropic one. Finally on the little arch is indicated the number of years by which the difference of the
Julian year from the tropic one is given by the difference of 72 and 14 and 66 and 36.
To recognise that the calculated terms would be of first or second order of sixties fractions, depends
on the astronomic knowledge of the addressee to whom this document was turned to.
In this way everything, that concerns the calculation of time and the passage from the archaic
chronological system to the Christian (expressed in B.C. and A.C.) and "viceversa", is communicated
in the structure of the southern little apse.
Without knowing these kind of correlation it become useless to attempt any sort of interpretation of
ancient and archaic texts that contain numeric references such as those of Homerus about Scylla and
Carriddi or about the presents from the priest of Apollo's temple to Ulysses or those division that
Dante gives deliberately to his song in the Vita Nuova.
We are able to calculate the months corresponding to 66° and 65° of precession arch. The difference
between the Julian year and the tropic one for a period of 4752 years is :
4752 x 0 ; 58, 30/125 = 37.0656 days.
As the difference ( 66 - 36.0565 = 28.9344 days) is approximately a lunar month, the months
corresponding to the precession arch of 66° will be 58773 +1 months ( 4752 x 365.25 - 66 = 66 x
890.5 months = 58773) and for 65° it will be 57883.5.
These are the parameters of the calculation system that can be founded in southern little apse and the
calculation of the sun longitudes at the full moon and new moon is based on the lunar-solar cycle of
4752 years = 58774 lunar months and with the ecliptic subdivision in two arches of 175° and 185°,
according to the structure of the archaic cosmology.
If with these parameters the cosmo-chronologic system is complete, nevertheless the bound with
historical events particular important to the medieval man of the second half of the 12th century is
missing.
The debate about this topic does not concern the matter of this essay.
A reader, acute and confident with calculation, could try to find the date corresponding to the full
moon indicated by the sexagesimal sequence of 18, 36, 54 months ( a sequence clearly visible
through the first three groups of cut triangular numbers. This full moon is at 7809 (2, 10, 9) months
after the first one of our "era".
There is no doubt that the importance of S.Secondo's church in
Cortazzone is such essential and unique for the study of the analogic and iconic form
communication of the archaic cosmological wisdom in the medieval culture as the function that the
image from the Milo's amphora had in our research concerning the knowledge of the Greek archaic
culture (see Quaderni di Storia della Fisica n° 2).
***
Last but not least a sincere acknowledgement should be added to Dr. D. Vanoni, who has drawn my
attention in May 1997 on the existence of S.Secondo in Cortazzone with its peculiar representations
in the capitals and the apse.