Between epistemology and manuscript studies: the mathematical notes of Thomas Harriot

Tuesday, 10 November 2026, 5pm to 6pm

This year’s Thomas Harriot Lecture will be given by Stefano Farinella, of the University of Hamburg, on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in the Champneys Room, Oriel College, Oxford. The lecture will begin at 5 pm and be followed by an informal drinks reception, also in the Champneys Room, at 6 pm.

The title of Mr Farinella’s lecture will be “Between epistemology and manuscript studies: the mathematical notes of Thomas Harriot”.

The lecture will explore different parts of Harriot’s corpus, focusing on the study of mathematical notes as a type of written artefact. In doing so, it will reveal the importance of adopting methods from manuscript studies in the reconstruction of the content, and how the underlying scientific process is reflected in the materiality of the notes.

All welcome
 
For further details, contact Professor Robert Fox at robert.fox@history.ox.ac.uk or Mrs Rebecca Bricklebank at rebecca.bricklebank@oriel.ox.ac.uk

Term: Michaelmas, Week 5

Speaker(s): Stefano Farinella (University of Hamburg)

Department: History (Department)

Organiser: Professor Robert Fox and Mrs Rebecca Bricklebank

Host: Oriel College, Oxford

More info: