Bladzijde uit een Deventer almanak voor het schrikkeljaar 1596 c. 1596

This is a page from a Deventer almanac for the leap year 1596, made by an anonymous artist. Almanacs were more than just calendars; they were compendiums of knowledge, blending astronomy, astrology, and religious thought. Printed in the vernacular, rather than Latin, it reflects the social and religious tensions of the late 16th century in the Netherlands. The text refers to both “heathen philosophy” and “Christian writings,” indicating a society grappling with the shift from traditional, religious worldviews to the burgeoning scientific revolution. It tells of the positions of planets and sets them alongside references to Moses and Aaron, highlighting the interwoven nature of the mystical and the religious. The fragmented state of the page speaks to the ravages of time, mirroring the transformations in the beliefs and knowledge it once contained. What remains is a poignant reminder of the human desire to understand our place in the cosmos, a quest that continues to shape our identities and histories.