Namzrantsre
| Namẓáṇṭṣē | |
|---|---|
 A depiction of Namẓáṇṭṣē from a medieval scholarly work | |
| Born | c. 726 Satthasa, Cananganamese Empire |
| Died | c. 812 Daktuva, Cananganamese Empire |
Namẓáṇṭṣē, also spelled Namzrantsre or Namzrantsree, was a Cananganamese Lunukist mathematician, polymath, physician, and astronomer. He was among the six initial founders of the Bujhisa of Daktuva, a grand library dedicated to extending knowledge amongst the upper castes of the Cananganamese empire. From an otherwise unnoteworthy background, Namzrantsre became a leading scholar during his time, and adding significantly to the medieval era's understanding of the sciences.
In the field of the sciences, Namzrantsre helped develop many theories on optics, the refraction of light, and discussing the potential of glass as a source of lenses in the use of astronomical observations. The most widespread of his works was The Universe and its Fundaments (Ñapagóṭṣē Vṓṣāmrāṭṣē), which devised an early proposal of the heliocentric system model, in opposition to the more common geocentric system model that was shared amongst scholars. He wrote hundreds of treatises within his life, developing models and recording techniques of artisanal work, of which only 62 of these works survive.
Accomplishments
Astronomy
From 767 to 791, Namzrantsre undertook a prolonged study of the constellations. In his most notable work, The Universe and its Fundaments, he provided a corpus of the constellations of the sky, proposed minor constellations, and their meanings within Lunukist doctrine. He recorded a total of 97 constellations, the effect of the moon on tides, and over stellar phenomena. The work was exceptionally large for the time, with it claimed to be over 400 pages. While only a single of these books survived, only 294 of these pages exist within it, of which 81 are damaged and illegible. Many scholars at the time referenced the book, and it was believed that at least sixteen copies had existed at one point.
Mathematics
Namzrantsre authored many works, though not as popular as his astronomical treatises, that namely had to do with multiplication and division. He spoke highly of a "harmony within numerals", and found enjoyment in calculating square roots of increasingly higher numbers of which he organized in a treatise known as The Mathematical (Thoktungóṭṣē). This work also helped standardize the Canamic Numeral System, which at the time was in the midst of a debate between several historical systems.
Medicine
Namzrantsre in several works refers notably to the quantification of medicine. His works suggest the proper quantity of medicine in reference to the phases of the moon was a valuable method in which to handle a patient's illness. This application of medicine, while not practiced seriously today, created the stepping stones for improvements in medicine by other scholars in the field in Nagu.
Optics
His lasting work on optics helped pave the way for early telescopic lenses within the later empire. He had theorized that light was not simply an element but a ray of energy, an observation he developed while within the Sarnukisa's garden. As light reflected upon the mosaic glass of the garden, he noted the light's effect and studied it for several months, before coming to his conclusions after consulting other scholars of his time who were not fully understanding of the effect. He made a similar suggestion that rainbows were an effect of this light reflection, a first within Cananganamese scholarly circles.