Jesús Alturo i Perucho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jesús Alturo i Perucho
Born	(1954-03-10)March 10, 1954 El Pont de Suert, Spain
Education	Doctor in classics
Occupation	Professor of palaeography, codicology and diplomatics

Jesús Alturo i Perucho was born on March 10, 1954, in El Pont de Suert, Spain. He is a Spanish expert who studies old writings, languages, and the history of culture. He helps us understand how people lived and communicated long ago.

Who is Jesús Alturo?

Jesús Alturo is a professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He started teaching there in 1976, focusing on Latin. Later, in 1992, he became a professor of special subjects. These subjects include:

• Palaeography: The study of ancient writing and how it has changed over time.
• Codicology: The study of old books, especially handwritten ones called manuscripts.
• Diplomatics: The study of official documents from the past, like charters or treaties.

He took over from his teacher, Anscari M. Mundó, in these important fields.

Expert in Ancient History

Mr. Alturo has a special degree called a Doctor in classics. This means he deeply understands ancient Greek and Roman cultures. He is an expert on the Middle Ages, a period of history from about 500 to 1500 AD. He studies the cultural history of this time, not just in Catalonia (a region in Spain) but across all of Europe.

He is part of many important groups that study old texts and history. For example, he joined the International Committee of Latin Palaeography in 1994. He also leads a project called Monumenta Palaeographica Medii Aevi, which focuses on old Spanish writings.

Discovering Old Documents

In 2017, Mr. Alturo published a big work called Chartae Latinae Antiquiores Cataloniae. This book contains 100 original old documents, called charters, from the 9th century. These charters are very old official papers, and they are kept in archives in Catalonia.

He has written more than 300 papers and books. He has found and studied many important old writings. For example, he found the earliest known copy of a book by Augustine of Hippo and parts of other famous old stories like Pamphilus de amore and Jaufré. He also found writings by the pilgrim Egeria, who traveled a lot in ancient times.

He has also edited and published medieval literary texts. These include sermons by Bishop Oliba and writings by the grammarian Borrell Guibert. He also studied early medieval Latin glossaries, which are like old dictionaries.

Identifying Ancient Writers

As a palaeographer, Mr. Alturo is very good at figuring out who wrote old manuscripts and documents. He has identified many writers from the past, even if their names were not clearly written. He found names like Altimir, At, Eiximèn, Isarn, Llop, and Recared.

He does this by looking at tiny details in the handwriting. He proved that often, the same person who wrote official documents (called diplomas) also copied books. His special way of studying these small details helps us learn more about the people who created these ancient texts.

First Catalan Author

In October 2021, Mr. Alturo and his colleague Tània Alaix made an exciting discovery. They identified the author of the "Complaints of Guitard Isarn, Lord of Caboet." The author was Ramon de Cabó, a subdeacon. This makes Ramon de Cabó the first known author of Catalan literature!

Mr. Alturo is also interested in the very first written examples of the Catalan language. He has helped to date important texts like the Homilies d'Organyà and a Catalan translation of the Visigothic Code. These old writings help us understand how the Catalan language developed.

Awards and Recognition

Jesús Alturo has received several awards for his important work:

• In 1982, he won the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona for his research on the old archive of Santa Anna in Barcelona.
• In 2004, his book Història del llibre manuscrit a Catalunya won the Premi Crítica Serra d'Or. This book is considered the best introduction to the history of handwritten books in Catalonia.
• On December 13, 2021, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi. This is a very high honor in Catalonia, given for his great contributions to the history of medieval literature and art.

Books by Jesús Alturo

Mr. Alturo has written or co-written many books, including:

• L’Arxiu Antic de Santa Anna de Barcelona (Fons de Santa Anna i de Santa Eulàlia del Camp) del 942 al 1200: aproximació històrico-lingüística (1985)
• Diplomatari de Polinyà del Vallès: aproximació a la història d'un poble del segle X al XII (1985)
• Diplomatari d’Alguaire i del seu monestir santjoanista, de 1076 a 1245 (1999)
• Studia in codicum fragmenta (1999)
• El llibre manuscrit a Catalunya: orígens i esplendor (2000; 2d ed. 2001)
• Història del llibre manuscrit a Catalunya (2004)
• El Llibre i la lectura: de l’antigüitat a l'època moderna (2008)
• El calze i la lira entre reixes: culte i textos clandestins dins la Presó Model de Barcelona (1937) (2008)
• Diplomatari d’Alguaire i del seu monestir duple de Sant Joan de Jerusalem (1245 a 1300) (2010)
• Memòries de la Guerra Civil i notes parroquials de postguerra de Mn. Joan Agut i Ribera, rector de Santa Maria de Montmaneu (2011)
• Alturo, J., and T. Alaix. L’església de Sant Salvador de Polinyà i les seves pintures (2016)
• Alturo, J., and T. Alaix. Chartae Latinae Antiquiores Cataloniae, 3 vol., (2017–18) (in English)
• Alturo, J., and T. Alaix. Mil cent anys de la vila i de la parròquia de Santa Maria de Llinars (2019)
• Alturo, J., and T. Alaix. L’antependi de Sant Martí de Lleida a Baltimore i altres obres de l’art medieval català (2020)
• Alturo, J., and T. Alaix. El canonge Adanagell de Vic (ca. 860-925), llavor de noves semences: la cultura a la diòcesi d’Osona en els primers temps carolingis (2021)

See also

In Spanish: Jesús Alturo i Perucho para niños