Meteorology and Weather Forecasting in the Learned Tradition of Medieval Bohemia and Moravia

Medieval people were undoubtedly more skilled observers and more adept at reading the sky than we are today. They were also more influenced by the perception of meteorological phenomena as symbols and signs, many of which they found reflected in biblical texts. Medieval sources show that some individuals sought to explain specific atmospheric phenomena and their causes, or even to predict the weather and related events. This book takes a look at several such scholars from the Czech lands and, drawing on the materials they left behind, introduces readers to the beginnings of meteorological research in the region. It builds upon previous publications on the history of meteorology in the Czech lands – works authored exclusively by natural scientists so far – and complements them by analysing predominantly Latin manuscript texts.