RUTILIO BENINCASA

According to the writer Spiriti, Rutilio Benincasa, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, was born in 1555 in Borgo Partenope, thenTorzano and, according to tradition, the house where he lived is still there. Other then his birth, little or nothing is known about him. He died around 1626.

He is mostly known for his “Perpetual Almanac” written by him in 1587, published for the first time in Naplels by G.G. Carlino in 1593 and reprinted several times. After his death it was updated many times. The major updating was done by Ottavio Beltrano from Terranova in the 1600s who expanded and illustrated it.

The main subjects were ancient astrology (the moon, eclipses, celestial bodies, signs of the zodiac), also  curiosity items, notions of history, anatomy, agriculture, arithmetic and geometry. It is in fact a small encyclopedia where are also found many of the popular beliefs of the time.

The title of most of the editions following the update by Beltrano reads as follows:

PERPETUAL ALMANAC BY RUTILIO BENINCASA OF COSENZA Illustrated and divided in five parts by  OTTAVIO BELTRANO From Terranova di Calabria Citra A Publication very necessary and enjoyable also of great benefit and useful to everyone, particularly To Astrologers, Physiologists, Doctors, Physicists, Surgeons, Barbers, Distillers, Alchemists, Farmers, Painters, Travelers, Camp Masters, Sergeant Majors, Aides  and anybody in arithmetic.

To Rotilio Benincasa are also attributed the numerical tables, which were said to help pick the winning lottery numbers trough various calculations but they do not appear in the almanac. He also produced writings of a mystical nature.

GALLERY