Collation Culture in Pre-Modern Islam: The Manuscript Tradition of Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa’s ʿUyūn al-Anbāʾ fī Ṭabaqāt al-Aṭibbāʾ
Online ZOOM lecture by Ignacio Sánchez | Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Abstract Scholars have been aware of the complex manuscript and textual tradition of Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa’s ʿUyūn al-anbāʾ fī ṭabaqāt al-aṭibbāʾ since August Müller discussed it in the introduction to his edition of the work. I revised Müller’s conclusions in one of the essays accompanying Brill's new edition and translation, demonstrating that the ʿUyūn al-anbāʾ had circulated in three different versions (Emilie Savage-Smith et al (ed.), A Literary History of Medicine, Brill, 2020, vol. 1). In this paper, I will discuss how the scribes approached the copy of Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa's work, how they dealt with the textual problems derived from the coexistence of the different versions, and how these collation practices are reflected in the codicological, textual and paratextual features that we find in the extant manuscripts.
This is the 1st lecture in the webinar series for the new academic year 2023-24 - organised by the NoMansLand research project (FWF Y 1232) dedicated to the study of Islamic manuscripts in pre-modern Iran and Central Asia.
Convenor: Project team "Nomads' Manuscripts Landscape"
For a list of upcoming lectures in the webinar series, please see Webinar series "Pre-modern Islamic manuscripts"