On Digamma and the Armenian Earth

Peter Pormann; W I  Sellers; Natalia Smelova; Naima Afif; Siam Bhayro

doi:10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654

On Digamma and the Armenian Earth

Peter Pormann, W I Sellers, Natalia Smelova, Naima Afif, Siam Bhayro

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The treatise On the Mixture and Power of Simple Drugs (Περὶ κράσεως καὶ δυνάμεως τῶν ἁπλῶν φαρμάκων) by Galen of Pergamum (129-216) is transmitted in a number of Greek manuscripts, and was translated into Syriac and Arabic. One Greek manuscript, Vatican Urbinas gr. 67, contains a passage from book IX about digamma and ‘Armenian earth’, not transmitted in the majority of Greek manuscripts and not included in the standard Greek edition by Kühn (1826). Galen called ‘Armenian earth’ a mineral that probably was orpiment, although the exact identification remains problematic. We now present a critical edition of the Syriac translation of part of this passage on the basis of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest; discuss the historic use of digamma; and explore the importance of Galen’s attestation of Armenian words.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	391-414
Journal	Le Museon
Volume	131
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654
Publication status	Published - 31 Dec 2018

Access to Document

10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654

ICAL: Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life
Garwood, R. (PI), Wogelius, R. (PI), Sansom, R. (CoI), Buckley, M. (CoI), Chamberlain, A. (CoI), Manning, P. (CoI), Egerton, V. (CoI), Sellers, W. (CoI), Nudds, J. (CoI), Bulot, L. G. (CoI), Brocklehurst, R. (PGR student), Brassey, C. A. (CoI), Keating, J. (CoI), La Porta, A. (CoI), Brocklehurst, R. (PGR student), Callender-Crowe, L. (PGR student), Wallace, E. (PGR student), Chester, J. (PGR student), Davenport, J. (PGR student), Tuley, K. (PGR student), Lomax, D. (Researcher), Reeves, J. (PGR student), Smart, C. (PGR student), Ferro, C. (PGR student), Karoullas, C. (PGR student), Heath, J. (PGR student), Dickson, A. (PGR student), Austin Sydes, L. (PGR student), McLean, C. (PGR student), Harvey, V. (PGR student) & Jones, K. (PI)
Project: Research

Cite this

@article{a9b4f13fc5a94b6a96789b6563eb2fba,

title = "On Digamma and the Armenian Earth",

abstract = "The treatise On the Mixture and Power of Simple Drugs (Περὶ κράσεως καὶ δυνάμεως τῶν ἁπλῶν φαρμάκων) by Galen of Pergamum (129-216) is transmitted in a number of Greek manuscripts, and was translated into Syriac and Arabic. One Greek manuscript, Vatican Urbinas gr. 67, contains a passage from book IX about digamma and {\textquoteleft}Armenian earth{\textquoteright}, not transmitted in the majority of Greek manuscripts and not included in the standard Greek edition by K{\"u}hn (1826). Galen called {\textquoteleft}Armenian earth{\textquoteright} a mineral that probably was orpiment, although the exact identification remains problematic. We now present a critical edition of the Syriac translation of part of this passage on the basis of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest; discuss the historic use of digamma; and explore the importance of Galen{\textquoteright}s attestation of Armenian words.",

author = "Peter Pormann and Sellers, {W I} and Natalia Smelova and Naima Afif and Siam Bhayro",

year = "2018",

month = dec,

day = "31",

doi = "10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654",

language = "English",

volume = "131",

pages = "391--414",

journal = "Le Museon",

issn = "0771-6494",

publisher = "Peeters",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - On Digamma and the Armenian Earth

AU - Pormann, Peter

AU - Sellers, W I

AU - Smelova, Natalia

AU - Afif, Naima

AU - Bhayro, Siam

PY - 2018/12/31

Y1 - 2018/12/31

N2 - The treatise On the Mixture and Power of Simple Drugs (Περὶ κράσεως καὶ δυνάμεως τῶν ἁπλῶν φαρμάκων) by Galen of Pergamum (129-216) is transmitted in a number of Greek manuscripts, and was translated into Syriac and Arabic. One Greek manuscript, Vatican Urbinas gr. 67, contains a passage from book IX about digamma and ‘Armenian earth’, not transmitted in the majority of Greek manuscripts and not included in the standard Greek edition by Kühn (1826). Galen called ‘Armenian earth’ a mineral that probably was orpiment, although the exact identification remains problematic. We now present a critical edition of the Syriac translation of part of this passage on the basis of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest; discuss the historic use of digamma; and explore the importance of Galen’s attestation of Armenian words.

AB - The treatise On the Mixture and Power of Simple Drugs (Περὶ κράσεως καὶ δυνάμεως τῶν ἁπλῶν φαρμάκων) by Galen of Pergamum (129-216) is transmitted in a number of Greek manuscripts, and was translated into Syriac and Arabic. One Greek manuscript, Vatican Urbinas gr. 67, contains a passage from book IX about digamma and ‘Armenian earth’, not transmitted in the majority of Greek manuscripts and not included in the standard Greek edition by Kühn (1826). Galen called ‘Armenian earth’ a mineral that probably was orpiment, although the exact identification remains problematic. We now present a critical edition of the Syriac translation of part of this passage on the basis of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest; discuss the historic use of digamma; and explore the importance of Galen’s attestation of Armenian words.

U2 - 10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654

DO - 10.2143/MUS.131.3.3285654

M3 - Article

SN - 0771-6494

VL - 131

SP - 391

EP - 414

JO - Le Museon

JF - Le Museon

ER -

On Digamma and the Armenian Earth

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

ICAL: Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life

Cite this