The Rylands Lunchtime Online Seminar: Translation, Teleology & Technology- Digital Humanities Studies of the Ancient World
| Dates: | 30 May 2024 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 13:45 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | John Rylands Research Institute and Library |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Adults, Alumni, General public |
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This online talk will focus on the John Rylands Library's rare copy of the medieval Arabic translation of On the Usefulness of the Parts of the Body by Galen of Pergamum (d. ca. 216 CE), one of the most influential physicians in history. Ostensibly a work on human anatomy, On the Usefulness of the Parts of the Body is, at its core, a work on natural teleology. Composed by Galen as a ‘true hymn of praise to our creator’, Christian and Muslim scientists and intellectuals in early ‘Abbasid Baghdad, at the time the cultural capital of the Islamic world, were intrigued by the book’s message and a full translation of the book was eventually produced in the ninth century by a team of translators led by Hunayn ibn Ishaq (d. 873 CE). The book left an enduring legacy on Islam but until now has been neglected by historians. In this talk, we’ll speak about this valuable manuscript and how we have worked with the John Rylands Library to develop innovative ways to make the manuscript more easily accessible to the global research community. We conclude with remarks on how the text can help historians gain new insights into Islam and science.
We'll be joined by Dr Kamran Karimullah is a lecturer in Islamic Thought in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester and
Dr Hammood Obaid has worked on Graeco-Arabic studies and digital humanities projects at the University of Manchester since 2015.
Charlotte Hoare Manchester Digital Collections Coordinator at the Rylands
To book a free place for this online event please follow the link to Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/translation-teleology-technology-tickets-827190829037
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