Jacopo da Firenze and the beginning of Italian vernacular algebra

Three vernacular Italian manuscripts (Florence, Riccardiana, Ms 2236 (F); Milan, Trivulziana, MS 90 (M); Vat. Lat. 4826 (V)) contain an abacus treatise which begins: ``Incipit tractatus algoritmi compilatus a magistro jacobo de florentia apud montem Pesulanum anno domini millesimo trecentesimo septimo in mense septembris. However none of these manuscripts is the original one, all of them, in fact were written later, in particular (M) can be dated by watermark c. 1410 some 40 years before (V). Close textual examination shows that, even if they are not completely identical, however are coherent enough and may be copies of the same original text. Only one of them, (V), contains a chapter on algebra. Warren Van Egmond, who first examined the manuscripts, maintains the algebra section of (V) is a late 14th century algebra text inserted by a mid-15th century copyst, Jens Høyrup on the contrary proves the algebra chapter was in the original copy, and also tries to find sources for it. After a very minute examination of the preceding Latin and Arabic algebra treatises he comes to the conclusion that Jacopo's algebra is not drawn from any of them including Leonardo of Pisa's Liber abacci. He forms the hypothesis of a source of inspiration located in a place he names ``area?. The lack of Arabisms in Jacopo's text brings him to form the hypothesis of Romance-speaking sources: ``Since the only Romance-speaking area outside Italy where the next 150 years offer any evidence of algebraic iterest is the Provençal-Catalan region (or perhaps the larger Iberian area) and since Montpellier itself appears not to have been a rich source, it seems reasonable to conclude that ``area ? was indeed one area, identified with, located in, or encompassing the Catalan region. Høyrup also studies the influences of Jacopo's algebra on some 14th-century Italian vernacular algebras, in particular he excludes any link with Dardi's Aliabraa-Argibra, apparently from 1344, the first Italian vernacular treatise completely devoted to algebra.

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