Introduction to 2023 Travels

Mentone Hotel, London, across Cartwright Gardens

When I began my math-related travels back in 2016, I worked hard each day to keep up with my blogging.  This sometimes kept me up until 2am.  Seven years on, I no longer hold myself to that exhausting regimine, but now I've let 5 months go by without blogging even once about my most recent math travels!  And I'm leaving in less than three weeks for my next expedition, so I guess I'd better start posting.  This is my Math Sab Plus blog, so it's not all math; in fact it's quite a lot of other stuff, but I try to tie in the math history.  

Mentone Hotel, London

I stayed at the Mentone Hotel because it was located between the British Museum and the British Library.  The purpose of my travels is always that of study, so the location was excellent.  I got in on a Friday night, which is the one night of the week that the British Museum is open "late," so after picking up a few things at the Tesco Express just outside the Russel Street tube station and dropping off my luggage, I ran right over to the British Museum.  (I don't like to waste a minute of my travels.

British Museum

British Museum

As usual, the first thing I wanted to see was the Rosetta Stone.  As usual, that's what everyone else wanted to see too!

Rosetta Stone

But, with some patience, a clear shot is possible.

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone

I then headed over to the display of items associated with mathematician and conjurer John Dee.  I rarely see anything new at the British Museum -- mostly stop by to visit old friends.

John Dee's Wax Seals

John Dee's Crystal Ball and Obsidian Mirror

Four Castles Gold Disk of John Dee

And then some other favorites -- the Royal Game of Ur, the Lewis Chessmen, the Elgin Marbles, and the Winged Bulls of Nineveh.

The Royal Game of Ur

The Lewis Chessmen

The Elgin Marbles

A Winged Bull of Nineveh

I love the central courtyard, day or night!

British Museum

British Museum

British Museum

British Museum

British Museum

I felt good about how much I was able to take in on that first evening, and then I had the treat of a beautiful walk back to the hotel on a spring evening.

Russell Square

Russell Square

Walking along Marchmont Street

Walking along Marchmont Street

Introduction/Conclusion 2022

 

The "Dreaming Spires" of Oxford

Welcome to my "Mathematical History PLUS" blog.  This post is intended to wrap up my 2022 math history travels and to introduce new readers to the blog.  I created this blog in 2016 when I first went on a travel sabbatical researching the history of mathematics.  The intent was to capture the math history places and items I came across during those 7 weeks of travel.  Since that time I have unexpectedly done quite a bit more travel, and always with a focus on the history of mathematics, and so I have kept this blog going.  After each lengthy segment of travel I post an introduction/conclusion.

A Door off the Quad of the Old Bodleian ("Geometriae et Arithmeticae")

I have a nearly identical blog for my students, a blog that is entirely focused on the mathematical aspects, and that can be found at http://mathsab.blogspot.com/.  That blog does not have the word "PLUS" in its title whereas this one does since I created this one for friends and family.  So while this blog contains mathematical information, it also contains details of travel and what I'm feeling and how I'm doing as I carry out these journeys, as well as posts about things I do during my travels that are unrelated to mathematics.  This is especially true of the posts for the year 2022.  When I started the blog in 2016, the posts were mostly focused on mathematics but had some personal detail included.  The posts in 2022 have flipped that on its head and become mostly a travel blog with a bit of mathematical detail added!  So, again, if you're looking solely for the history of mathematics, either click the link above, or check out my posts prior to 2022.

Genealogical Roll of the Descent of John Dee [Cotton. Ch. XIV.1.] courtesy of the British Library

So, hopefully this post helps you orient yourself to this blog and/or directs you to a similar one that might be of more specific interest.  I do plan to do more travels relating to the history of mathematics -- currently am planning another trip to the UK and am also hoping to get to Italy, mostly to focus on Girolamo Cardano but also Luca Pacioli, Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Tartaglia, and Mary Fairfax Somerville.  We'll see what the future holds.  For now, thanks for stopping by!

Display at Oxford's History of Science Museum

Merton College, Oxford

Introduction to Second Sabbatical -- "Sorcerer Mathematicians of the Renaissance"

My first sabbatical was such an amazingly life-changing experience and has so positively impacted my students and my teaching, that it has been my dream to do something similar again.  During fall semester 2018 I worked hard to put together a worthy proposal, and approval was granted!

Cardano, Dee, and Napier

My previous sabbatical was focused on the history of mathematics from the Renaissance to the present in northern Europe, which was quite a wide sweep of history to try to take in.  This time my focus will be on three 16th-century mathematicians whom I refer to as "The Sorcerer Mathematicians of the Renaissance."  They are Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576), John Dee (1527-1609), and John Napier (1550-1617).

John Dee Exhibit, Royal College of Physicians, London 2016

John Dee's crystal ball

Prior to my first sabbatical I had not heard of John Dee -- embarrassing to admit, but there it is.  Thankfully, while I was in London the Royal College of Physicians was hosting a John Dee exhibit along with a variety of other Dee events. I found myself captivated.  A book on display there linked John Dee with one of my favorite Italian mathematicians, Girolamo Cardano. I later learned that they had met, despite a quarter-century difference in their ages and despite living at such a distance from each other at a time when long-distance travel was onerous to say the least!  This link was the seed of the idea for this second sabbatical.

Dee's copy, with his marginal notes, of Scaliger's "critique" of Cardano

Additionally during those first travels I learned more of John Napier -- also a Renaissance-era mathematician with a reputation for dabbling in the dark arts.  How could I resist opportunity to study these three more deeply and in conjunction with each other?  (And if any mathematicians are going to capture the imaginations of my students, wouldn't it be these three?!  Crystal balls, castles, the Spanish Inquisition, codes, feuds, spy-craft, the occult, lost treasure, etc., etc., etc.)

John Napier's Tower House/Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland 2019

Beginning March 12, 2020, I will be "walking in the footsteps" of these mathematicians as closely as possible.  I will be visiting places where they lived, studied, worked, worshiped, and died.  I will read in library and museum archives, focusing especially on original documents such as diaries and letters.  I will attend any and all talks, tours and events that I can find relating to these mathematicians.

Mathematically I will be studying their work on their terms, as they wrote it and understood it.  The Renaissance Era was as much a rebirth and flowering of mathematics as it was of art, music and literature.  These three mathematicians were deeply involved in this flowering that gave rise to the mathematics (and thus the technology) that we have today.  For example, in 1545 Girolamo Cardano published Ars Magna, or The Great Art, an extremely influential mathematics text that is a basis of our modern algebra.  John Napier created logarithms, an invention that so shortened the time needed for calculations that he is said to have “doubled the life of the astronomer.”  John Dee worked with mathematics relating to navigation and calendar reform and is the first person to have used the term “British Empire,” a phrase he coined in his role as adviser to Queen Elizabeth I.

Though their mathematical contributions are profound, there is much more than mathematics that attracted me to these three.  John Dee may have been a spy for Queen Elizabeth I and is thought to have inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond character as well as Shakespeare’s Prospero and Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus.  What kind of life must he have lived to have inspired such a diversity of fictional characters?!  Girolamo Cardano was the second most renowned physician of his day and was also a gambler and an astrologer who was imprisoned by the Inquisition for, ostensibly, casting a horoscope of Jesus Christ.  John Napier was an elder in his church, but he was also considered a sorcerer by his neighbors, an opinion he seems to have encouraged!  That was a very fine line to walk, particularly in the 16^th century when people were burned at the stake for witchcraft. Because of his reputation as a sorcerer, he was contracted to use his skills to search for treasure in Scotland’s Fast Castle.  

There is a great deal more to what I am doing and exploring, but hopefully that gives a sense of the journey -- enough to tempt you to follow along!

Speaking of the journey, I had these maps up on the wall of my office all last semester in order to encourage and inspire myself.  Not having traveled prior to 2016, I learned in my first sabbatical that I'm a pretty "manic" traveler, don't know how to rest and take down time -- but that's in large part because this is my chance to access so much!  I'll be staying in 11 different cities over the course of 8 weeks and will be taking side-trips to other cities as well.

In Italy my focus is mainly Cardano (though while I'm there I'll also do a bit of looking into Bruno, Fibonacci, Pacioli, Somerville, etc.).  I will be visiting the cities of

Rome

Naples

Florence

Vinci

Pisa

Bologna

Urbino

Venice

Padua

Milan

Sirmione

Pavia

In England I'll focus mainly on Dee, and in Scotland I'll focus mainly on Napier.  The cities I'll be visiting in the United Kingdom are

London

Oxford

Eyemouth

Edinburgh

Gartness

St. Andrews

I have been researching this with varying levels of intensity since my last sabbatical, and this research has now shifted into very high gear.  I need to go in with a lot of knowledge in order to get as much out of this as I possibly can.  I plan to begin regular blog posts a few days after landing in Rome on March 12, so watch this space in order to learn about those "Sorcerer Mathematicians of the Renaissance!"


PS  This blog is a continuation from my previous sabbatical, so all the posts from those travels can be found below.  

PPS As of February 25, 2020, there may need to be significant changes to the above due to the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which has now breaking out in northern Italy.

Closing Highlights from First Sabbatical

Ely Cathedral, England

Welcome (or welcome back) to my "Mathematical History Tour (Plus)" sabbatical blog.  During spring semester 2016 I spent seven weeks studying the history of mathematics in northern Europe focusing on mathematical developments from the Renaissance to the present.  Though I was very focused on mathematics and math history, it's impossible to be in Europe for 7 weeks and not notice some other stuff too, hence the "(Plus)" in the title. :-)

I have another blog that ran concurrently containing only mathematical content.  This blog contains the full experience of the travel, places, people, and emotions, as well as all the math history content.  The purpose of this blog has been to keep friends and family informed of what I was doing and how I was doing, and it also now serves as a diary or scrapbook of memories for me of a once-in-a-lifetime journey.  Hopefully, it is something others can enjoy as well.

I've decided to finish up by posting what is either a "conclusion" (if you've been following me) or an "introduction" (if you're just finding this blog for the first time) in the form of highlights of the trip - a representative sample of the contents of the rest of the blog.

Here, in no particular order, are the highlights:

1) Holyrood Park, Abbey, Palace -

Absolutely astonishing in every way!  There is history, beauty, ruins, a working castle (the queen's home when she is in Edinburgh) and miles of hiking trails at all levels of difficulty.  For a full post entirely about Holyrood Park, Abbey and Palace, click here.

2) Awesome "Hosts" -

I was blown away by the gracious welcome I was given by each of the mathematicians I contacted before heading to Europe - mathematicians I knew by reputation but did not know personally prior to this trip.

 In each case I had asked a single question by email, such as, "Can you tell me where G. H. Hardy's rooms were in Trinity College, Cambridge?" or "Do you know if the nervenklinik (sanatorium) in Halle, Germany where Georg Cantor died in 1918 still exists?"

Instead of just emailing me an answer to my question, each of these mathematicians connected with me in person, welcomed me, opened doors for me to places I could never have entered without their help, spent a great deal of time with me, conversed with me about the topics of my study, and absolutely gave freely of their time to give me a great and valuable experience.  I do not have words to adequately convey the depth of my gratitude to them!  They are phenomenal human beings, each and every one!

Cambridge University - Professor Piers Bursill-Hall and doctoral student Richard Chapling

Gottingen University - Professor Samuel James Patterson

Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg - Professor Manfred Stern

3) Quiet Days -

I was in Europe for 47 days, only 4 of which were what I would call "down days."  As you can imagine, taking in 500 years of math history in 9 cities in 4 countries in less than 2 months was pretty intense, so these four slower days were unbelievably refreshing!  Below I give one picture of each place; to see more click on the links below:

Burntisland, Scotland - home of Mary Somerville
May Day in Paris
Heidelberg
Plesse Castle, Gottingen, Germany - associated with David Hilbert

Burntisland, Scotland - The Links and Firth of Forth

May Day walk along the Seine - view of Notre Dame Cathedral

Heidelberg Castle

Plesse Castle - Gottingen, Germany

4) Brontes -

I have adored Emily Bronte and the entire Bronte family since my teen years.  I love the writings - novels and poetry - of Emily and Charlotte and Anne.  I'm fascinated by the story of their family.  Though I didn't get to visit their hometown of Haworth, a place I have long longed to go, I did get to see portraits of them at London's National Portrait Gallery - facsimiles of which I've been familiar with for decades - two of these having been painted by their brother Branwell.  I also got to see other items associated with them, such as their famed tiny books of juvenilia, their signatures, a pair of Charlotte's shoes, the prospectus for the school they hoped to open, and so on.  All of these things were on display because this year is the 200th anniversary of Charlotte's birth.  To see more, click here.

Emily Jane Bronte - as painted by her brother Branwell Bronte

5) Archive Reading -

I was here for the math, and being a professor on sabbatical opened doors for me to archives and amazing resources.  I read at two libraries in Oxford: Queen's College and the Bodleian.  I also accessed the archives at Heidelberg University.  My Bodleian Reader's Card is now one of my most treasured possessions!  More here.

Radcliffe Camera - Bodleian Library - Oxford

Queen's College Library, Oxford

Queen's College Library - Oxford

6) Marienkirche, Halle, Germany -

I visited many places of worship - kirks, churches, kirchen and cathedrals.  The Marktkirche (Market Church) or Marienkirche (Church of Mary) in Halle stood out to me.  It was stunning, as were so many others, but it was also very accessible and less touristy than most.  There was no charge to get in, and it was open every day.  I was in Halle for about five days, and this church was in such a central location that I spent a lot of time there and came to feel I belonged there.  I attended an organ concert there, and I climbed its unique towers - of which there are FOUR!  This church also contains a lot of history that I was interested in - is the church that George Friedrich Handel was baptized in and first learned to play organ in, and it is associated with Martin Luther.  Halle is very near to Wittenberg, and Luther preached in this Halle church a number of times.  There is a small museum at this church dedicated to him that contains his death mask and casts of his hands.  For lots of pictures of Halle's Marienkirche, including views from the roof, Luther-related items, and a video of organ practice, click here.

7) Harry Potter Connections -

This was a very unexpected find for me.  I have enjoyed the Harry Potter books and movies, but I didn't know much about the settings or the author's inspirations.  While I was in a kirkyard in Edinburgh looking for the grave of a mathematician (Colin Maclaurin) I overheard a conversation about graves there that likely inspired elements of the series.  I also learned that the author, J. K. Rowling, did much of her early writing at a cafe in Edinburgh, so I had lunch there one day and was pretty amazed by the place.  For more about Harry Potter connections in Edinburgh click here.

The Elephant House

View from the Elephant House

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Looking across Greyfriar's Kirkyard to Heriot's School - a possible inspiration for Hogwarts school in the novels

So, there you have it, seven weeks packed into one post.  I learned so much through this experience.  I've been enriched as a mathematician and teacher, and the things I've learned in that arena will resonate throughout the rest of my teaching career and will hopefully make a positive impact on many, many students.

I've been enriched in other ways as well - through experiencing the culture, history and beauty of Europe and having an amazing time - but also through difficulties of solo travel in countries where I did not speak the language and through becoming extremely sick for a couple of weeks, to the point where I feared I would have to be hospitalized, and having no one there with me to care for me.  I was particularly sick in Oxford, where if I needed medicine or food it was a half hour walk from my cheap hotel room to get them.

In many ways I had to stretch myself - driving in England (without someone with me to "navigate" and where the cars and roads are reversed from the US, and I don't even like to drive at home!), pushing my introverted self to meet mathematicians there and to let them give to me as abundantly as they did, figuring out how to live abroad for seven weeks on my own - never had done anything remotely like that before -

I learned a lot about myself, and I learned a lot about trust - trusting God to provide for my needs - and He came through so powerfully.  In multiple ways this was a life-changing experience, and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity.  And I'm so thankful to those of you who followed me through this blog and to those of you who were praying for me during this time!!  Much appreciated!!

Soli Deo Glori - To God Alone be the Glory!