-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Electronic publication of Book of Curiosities
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:42:43 +0000
From: Nick Millea <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:
Dear All,
Cross-posted to: Carto-soc, Liber-gdc, Lis-maps, Maps-L, Friends of
TOSCA
Nick Millea
Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:01:08 +0000
From: Emilie Savage-smith <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: electronic publication of Book of Curiosities
Sender: Emilie Savage-smith <[log in to unmask]>
The Bodleian Library in collaboration with The Oriental Institute,
University of
Oxford, announces the electronic publication of The Book of Curiosities
of the
Sciences and Marvels for the Eyes, a newly discovered medieval Arabic
treatise
on the depiction of the Heavens and the Earth. The treatise is one of
the most
important recent finds in the history of Islamic cartography in
particular, and
for the history of pre-modern cartography in general. The publication
of the
treatise is mounted on a dedicated website employing a new method for
publishing
medieval maps:
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/bookofcuriosities
The Book of Curiosities is an illustrated anonymous cosmography,
compiled in
Egypt during the first half of the 11th century. The only known copy of this
manuscript, probably made in the late 12th or early 13th century, was
acquired
by the Bodleian Library in 2002. The manuscript contains a unique series of
maps and diagrams, most of which are unparalleled in any other medieval
work.
These include diagrams of star-groups and comets; a rectangular map of
the world
with a graphic scale (the earliest surviving example of such a map); a
circular
world map; individual maps of islands and ports in the eastern
Mediterranean,
including Sicily, Tinnis, Mahdia, Cyprus, and the Byzantine coasts of Asia
Minor; maps illustrating the Mediterranean Sea as a whole, the Indian
Ocean, and
the Caspian Sea; and maps of five major rivers (the Nile, Indus, Oxus,
Euphrates, and Tigris).
The website contains an electronic high-quality reproduction of all the
folios
of the original manuscript, linked by mouse-overs to an Arabic edition
and an
annotated English translation of the text of the treatise as well as the
labels
on the maps. The site also allows users to search for English and Arabic
terms,
consult an extensive glossary, and study explanatory diagrams. The
treatise is
available in its entirety except for five chapters from Book 1 on
astronomy and
astrology that will be available shortly.
This is the first electronic publication of a work of medieval Islamic
cartography, promoting research in a relatively neglected field. It is
also
intended to be widely used as a teaching tool in graduate and undergraduate
courses on Islamic history, Islamic culture, and the history of science.
For
younger students, the website contains a downloadable Teacher's Pack
based on
portions of the manuscript, suitable for Key Stage 3 of the UK National
Curriculum (aimed at 11-14 year olds)
------
Emilie Savage-Smith and Yossef Rapoport, The Oriental Institute,
University of
Oxford, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE
________________________________________________________
Nick Millea
PLEASE NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!!
Map Librarian, Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG
tel: 01865 287119
fax: 01865 277139
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/guides/maps/
________________________________________________________
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