The Translation of Arabic Scientific Texts into Greek Between the 9th and 15th Centuries

Feb 26 - 27, 2021 (online)

A Mainz History Talks workshop organized by
Joe Glynias (Princeton University) and Johannes Pahlitzsch (JGU Mainz)
under the auspices of the Gutenberg International Conference Center,
in cooperation with the Princeton University Committee for the Study of Late Antiquity
and the Program in Medieval Studies

In this online workshop, we aim to situate the transmission of Arabic science into Greek in a broader context. Toward this goal, the papers will investigate a number of related questions, including how Arabo-Greek scientific translation related to Graeco-Arabic scientific translation in Baghdad, what were the connections between these Arabo-Greek translators working in Byzantine territory with the 10th-11th-century Antiochene Graeco-Arabic translators of Christian textual materials, and what role did Melkites, Arabic-speaking Chalcedonian Christians, play in Arabo-Greek scientific translation? We furthermore wish to explore the demand on the Byzantine side for translations and their effect on Byzantine intellectual history. Namely, what sort of Greek environment and audience were these translations from Arabic intended for and how were the Arabic translations integrated into Greek scientific curricula?

We hope that the workshop may represent a step forward in understanding the intellectual networks that linked the Byzantine and Islamicate worlds, the large impact of translations from Arabic on the medieval Greek intellectual world, and the wider connections between Arabic and Greek scholarship in the medieval world.

Date and Format: To accommodate the various time zones in which the workshop participants live and to avoid conflicts with teaching obligations during the semester, the gathering will take place in the late afternoon and evening (CET) on Friday-Saturday, February 26-27 2021. Each day will include a number of papers as well as virtual coffee breaks.

Please click here to view the detailed program.

Scientific Organizers:

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johannes Pahlitzsch (JGU)

Joe Glynias (Princeton University)

 

Event Manager: Kumi-Raine Kost