Historic Publications

Commentarii, Memorie, Rendiconti, Atti

The scientific output, the discussion and dissemination of the results have always been the main mission of the Academy of Sciences of the Institute since its foundation in the 18^th century. The periodic publication of the proceedings was a shared practice of the main European scientific institutions with the aim of  guaranteeing  a rapid and wide  distribution of the research outcomes and of the academic debates inside the international scientific community. Therefore, also in Bologna the “Memorie” (essays) discussed in the academic sessions  and those sent by the corresponding members were collected in the seven tomes of the Commentarii (De Bononiensi Scientiarum et Artium Instituto atque Academia. Commentarii), that were printed in Bologna for the types of Lelio Volpe between 1731 and 1791. Starting from 1804, following the incorporation of the ancient Academy into the Istituto Nazionale Cisalpino that had been established in 1802 by the Napoleonic government, the publication of the Commentarii was interrupted and substituted  first (1806-1810) by the Memorie dell’Istituto Nazionale Italiano and subsequently by the Memorie dell’Istituto Regio Lombardo-Veneto. In 1829 with the reinstatement of the Academy, under the name of Regia Accademia delle Scienze, the scientific discussions of the Bologna institute were collected  again in the Commentarii that resumed publications, this time  with the tiltle  of Novi Commentarii Academiae Instituti Scientiarum Bononiensis.  Starting from 1833  the release of Novi Commentarii was accompanied by that of the Rendiconto delle sessioni della Regia Accademia delle Scienze dell’Istituto di Bologna. These latter were summaries of the Academy sessions, published in Italian with much shorter publication times and  definitely lower production costs, and were therefore able to speed up the circulation of the research results and of the debates taking place in the premises of Palazzo Poggi. The publication of the Rendiconti, articulated in thirteen series, would continue until 1976. Whereas, over time, the release of Commentarii became less and less regular until 1850 when its publication  was discontinued being substituted by  a new one: the  Memorie. The publication (in Italian) of the Memorie spans over the period 1850-1953 and, due to the division of the Academy into the two Classes of Physical and Moral Sciences, collects and subdivides the academic proceedings  into two distinct series (Memorie dell’Accademia delle Scienze dell’Istituto di Bologna, suddivise in Classe di Scienze Fisiche e Classe di Scienze Morali). The further denomination of Atti dell’Accademia delle Scienze distinti in Memorie di Scienze Fisiche e Memorie  di Scienze Morali covers the period between 1954 and 1977.