Jan z Olkusza, Johannes de Ilkush, Elkush, known as “the older”, *circa 1425, †after 1463, Polish phisician. In 1442, he began studies at the University of Krakow, in 1444, he obtained a bachelor’s degree, and in 1450 a master’s degree in liberal arts. Approx. 1450 he was a parish priest in Olkusz. In 1456, he served as dean of the faculty of liberal arts at the University of Kraków. In 1445, he made a copy of the treatises Arithmetica speculativa and Musica speculativa by Johannes de Muris (Jagiellonian Library, Ms 1927 f. 100r–112r and f. 113r–132v). Both treatises are equipped with extensive glosses, and Musica speculativa – with a commentary (f. 239–241r), the author of which, however, is not Jan of Olkusz.
Literature: G. Pietzsch Zur Pflege der Musik an den deutschen Universitäten bis zur Mitte des 16. Jahrhundert, “Archiv für Musikforschung” I, 1936; C.E. Brewer “Musica Muris” in Krakow manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries, “Muzyka” Warsaw 1980 no. 3; G. Rosińska Scientific Writings and Astronomical Tables in Cracow. A Census of Manuscript Sources (XIVth-XVIth Centuries), “Studia Copernicana” XXII, 1984; E. Witkowska-Zaremba Musica Muris i nurt spekulatywny w muzygografii sredniowiecznej, “Studia Copernicana” XXXII, Warsaw 1992.
