About
Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609) was a French scholar, son of the renowned humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger. Converted to Protestantism in 1562, he studied law at Valence under Jacques Cujas, then fled to Geneva after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. His major work, De emendatione temporum (1583), founded scientific chronology by integrating astronomical data to date historical events. Appointed to the University of Leiden in 1594, he held a pure research chair without teaching duties. His Thesaurus temporum (1606) reconstructed the Chronicle of Eusebius and demonstrated the antiquity of Egyptian and Babylonian dynasties. He invented the Julian Period, still used in astronomy.
* 1540-08-05 — † 1609-01-21
Major works
- De emendatione temporum (1583)chronological treatise
- Thesaurus temporum (1606)chronological compilation
- Scaligerana (1666)collection of sayings
Key milestones
- 1562Conversion to Protestantism after Calvinist instruction in Paris.
- 1583Publication of De emendatione temporum, foundation of scientific chronology.
- 1594Appointment to the University of Leiden as a pure research professor, without teaching duties.
Themes
ChronologyPhilologyAncient historyAstronomyHumanism
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordbibliographies.com · data.bnf.fr