#NewPublication #OpenAccess #ChristianEast #ManuscriptStudies #BookHistory #ArabicBible
“Monastic Literature in Early Islamic Palestine and Sinai: Manuscripts, Scribes, Translators, Authors, and Later Readers”, COMSt Bulletin Special Issue, ed. by Adrian C. Pirtea
No. 8: MARV 2.22 On this unsealed tablet Saggiu the steward is named as the recipient of (mahir) a series of amounts totalling just over one homer of two kinds of oil on different occasions, over a period of at least 8 months. The oil is either "myrtle oil" (IÀ a-si) or "purified oil" (IÀ ma-su-ú), used apparently interchangeably, and totalled together as just "oil" (IÀ.MES = samnu) at the end of the document. The summary reads as follows: SU.NÍGIN 1 ANSE 3 ½ qa IÀ.MES Sa SU munsGIS.TUKUL-ti-sa-AN-e mu-ra-qi-te tal-pi-tu sa is-tu ITI a-pu-MAN.MES-ni UD.2.KÁM li-me 'MAS-DUMU.ÚS-SUM-na a-di ITI al-la-na-te UD.20.KÁM li-me 'ra-gis-sá-ni a-na tal-pi- ti É'.GAL'"-lim 'sa-gi-ú AGRIG ma-hi-ir "Total: 1 homer 3½ qû oil, in the charge of Tukulti-ja-same, the perfumer, expenditure for the period from the month of Apu-sarrani, 2nd day, eponymate of Ninurta-apla-iddina until the month of Alla-natu, 20th day, eponymate of Ragissanu, for the expenditure of the palace(?), 15 Saggiu, the steward, has received".
For the word nerds out there, the word in Akkadian for "expert in aromatics" is muraqqītu.
This was the technical domain of women. As another random example, a woman named Tukulti-sha-shamê "the muraqqītu", provided oil for cultic events for a period of 8 months to a steward named Saggi'u.
Join us next Thursday 26 Feb at 10 AM CET for a paper by Maria S. Thomas (UniVie) on the manuscript production of the Syriac Orthodox monastery of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem in the twelfth century!
If you are not yet on our mailing list, please register w/ @andyhilkens.bsky.social
Postdocs were recently described as 'the disposable worker bees of academia". @elckerlieke.bsky.social and I added to the conversation. How can we better recognise the contributions of this essential part of the academic ecosystem?
www.voicesyoungacademics.nl/articles/for...
The programme of the 2026 GenAut online seminar, with the general theme "The Followers of the Apostles in Cultic Contexts." It can be found online at https://genaut.univie.ac.at/?page_id=671.
We're thrilled to share with you the programme for the 2026 online seminar of the project! The series is curated by our colleague Maria S. Thomas (@dekayra.bsky.social).
All welcome! Let us know if you'd like to add you to the email list. genaut.univie.ac.at/?page_id=671
Next week we are hosting another paper, this time by Nicolas Atas (KU Leuven) on Syriac lexica! Tune in on Thursday 5 Feb at our regular time of 10 AM CET.
As always, don't forget to register w/ @andyhilkens.bsky.social if you're not yet on our mailing list!
Call for Papers - EABS 2026: Biblical Reception in Eastern Christian Traditions.
We welcome papers on manuscripts, margins, scribes, biblical traditions, and more.
Abstracts can be submitted until 31 January 2026: eabs.my.site.com/s/research-u...
Very exciting to see the new book of Leuven colleague Hanneke van der Schoor has now appeared, who uses Dead Sea Scroll evidence about the mysterious figure of Qahat to think through modern practices of editing and textual classification (brill.com/display/titl...; @dgb-relbibtheo.bsky.social).
Excited to announce this for late April! Join us by zoom, it will be online too. #lateantiquity #earlymiddleages @hebrewuniversity.bsky.social
Pasts Imperfect is back from break! This week, we focus on AI ethics and labor with @illdottore.bsky.social, Christine Johnston & Leigh Anne Lieberman. Then, ancient bees in jawbones, Roman camels in Basel, a book on temple robbery, new ancient world journals @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & much more
Happy New Year everyone!
We are starting off 2026 next Friday 9 Jan at 10 AM with a paper by Roman Gundacker (ÖAW/UniVie) on Manetho's Aegyptiaca.
If you're not yet on the mailing list and interested in attending, please register w/ @andyhilkens.bsky.social
Many congratulations, Sabrina!
Bit of news here: genaut.univie.ac.at/?p=1595
@erc.europa.eu #ERCCoG
Part of the recipe in the original manuscript.
Three quinces on a cutting board.
Today, Sid and I are attempting a recipe for “roy marmelaede” with quinces from the Antwerp Annunciates’ recipe book (first half 17th century, with some later additions - @kbrbe.bsky.social).
Quite curious as to how this will go (1/?)
#earlyModern #bookhistory
#womenshistory #foodhistory
To avoid any curses, attending is recommended.
Exiting the theology faculty has become quite the adventure.
Looking forward to hearing about the creative use of an East Syriac text in a medieval Syriac Orthodox context tomorrow!
The next TeTra event is another Book in the Spotlight, this time with Sofia Puchkova. Discussant is Samuel Fernández (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile).
Tuesday 1 July at 4PM CET, don't miss it!
If you are not yet on the mailing list, please register w/ @andyhilkens.bsky.social
Next week we offer the floor to one of the long-term participants in our seminar. Boško Erić (University of East Sarajevo) will be speaking about the Letter of Mara bar Serapion on Thu 5 June, at 10 AM. If you're not yet on the mailing list, please register w/ @andyhilkens.bsky.social
Also now up on our YouTube channel, the recording of Antonietta Castiello's paper on the inscriptions of the Palmyrene diaspora. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_o2...
In case you missed it, the recording of Federico Alpi's talk about the Nicene Creed in the Armenian version of the Didascalia CCCXVIII Patrum is now available on our Youtube channel alongside many other papers and all the lectures!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0cx...
Four-year postdoc in Syriac studies in Vienna.
Join my team in the FWF START Project "Generative Authority: The Followers of the Apostles as Literary Characters," genaut.univie.ac.at/
Deadline June 1st. Happy to respond to any inquiries!
@fwf-at.bsky.social @univie.ac.at
New special issue on practices of authorship edited by Sabrina Inowlocki:
www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/issue/ear...
Thank you for the invitation to be part of this, @sabrinainowlocki.bsky.social!
Thank you, Sabrina! Really looking forward to this.
Proof day! The special issue I edited on Christian authorship is out soon in Early Christianity. Watch out to see the fantastic papers by my distinguished colleagues @danbatovici.bsky.social @gpfewster.bsky.social @worldlyscribe.bsky.social and @jeremiahcoogan.bsky.social
image of a sheep in a coat of arms next to a hole in the parchment
'The lamb is among all beasts the most sweet and innocent...It hurts no man with teeth, nails or horns and all that comes of him is good and profitable...'
Surely the scribe was considering the parchment of that very folio - made more noticeable by the hole - as he wrote this... [Harley 6149].
Join us on Thursday 6 February at 10 AM for a conversation with @mateuszkusio.bsky.social on the early Christian Latin poet Commodianus
Tomorrow!
Large monoprints featuring stylised figures holding golden balls. Church architecture in the background.
Large monoprints featuring stylised figures holding golden balls. Church architecture in the background.
Large monoprints featuring stylised figures holding golden balls. Church architecture in the background.
Large monoprints featuring stylised figures holding golden balls. Church architecture in the background.
We are delighted to be hosting an exhibition of artworks for the next month! KIRKWALL SAGA by Morgan Barnett is inspired by the Kirkwall Ba', and will be on display until 13 February. Entry to the exhibition and cathedral are FREE, open 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, Monday to Saturday.
We are thrilled to announce the preliminary TeTra programme for 2025, which is now available on our new website: tetra.univie.ac.at!
Wishing you a very good, hopefully restful Christmas break, and an even better new year,
Your Tetra team – Marion, Giorgia, Andy and Dan
