Camillo AgrippaÕs ÒTrattato di Scientia dÕArme, con un Dialogo di FilosofiaÓ, published in 1553, is widely regarded as the seminal text of scientific fencing. Agrippa analyzed fencing in terms of geometry, biomechanics, and timing, laying the groundwork for centuries of fencing theory that followed him. This translation is thoroughly annotated, with a particular emphasis on aiding scholars and practitioners of historical fencing to follow AgrippaÕs descriptions of combative sequences. An extensive introduction provides background on terminology, the author, and the text itself, places AgrippaÕs system within the historical continuum of Italian fencing, and provides a thorough overview of the theoretical and technical aspects of the system. The latter part of the text, AgrippaÕs ÒPhilosophical DialogueÓ, addresses various topics of geometry and pre-Copernican astronomy.
Includes bibliography, appendices covering both the Treatise and Dialogue, and glossary.