Elementa

2010-1


Anonymous Arabic commentary on the Elements, unknown date (pre-11th cent?). MS approx. 16th century. MPIWG-scan

Here you will find materials for our seminar, which takes place:

Thursdays, 9-13. PAM 391 (Spring 2010)
(University of Oslo, Blindern, P.A. Munchs hus, "3rd floor")
From Thursday, Jan. 7th (intro/discussion) and Jan. 14th

The seminar is a parallel close reading of the Greek and Arabic texts of Euclid's Elements (Greek: Στοιχεῖα), which is a foundational text for mathematics, geometry and indeed science itself - in the European and Islamic tradition alike.


Here follow links to the basic texts, see further on textual history and context from the right menu. An online electronic version of the text will be available here as the seminar proceeds.

Greek text

Arabic text

Due perhaps to the complex nature of the manuscript tradition, no real edition of the Arabic translations of the Elements exists. Texts for the seminar can be obtained from me. Meanwhile, all available (public domain) texts will be published here.

  • Nayrīzī's commentary: Introduction, Book 1, Book 2 of the Elements (from the Heiberg-Besthorn edition, slightly edited from a Google-scan).
  • Tusi's Tahrir, ed. Teheran 1298/1880.

Heath