‎Ptolemy, Akhawayn, Flora Vafea (ed)‎
‎The Risala Dhat al-kursi attributed to Ptolemy. A Treatise on the Celestial Globe with Stand‎

‎, Brepols, 2024 Hardback, xii + 245 pages, Size:178 x 254 mm, Illustrations:6 b/w, 28 col., 10 tables b/w., Language(s):English, Arabic. ISBN 9782503602226.‎

Reference : 65272

‎Summary This book deals with the Ris?la Dh?t al-kurs?, a 33-chapter Arabic treatise on the celestial globe with stand. The treatise is attributed to Ptolemy in some manuscripts, to the Ottoman scholar Akhawayn in others, but is anonymous in most. The book begins with a survey of references to Ptolemaic works in Greek and Arabic sources, presenting various works attributed to Ptolemy either preserved in the original Greek or in translation, or considered lost, including both authentic works and pseudepigrapha. Next follows a critical edition of the treatise Dh?t al-kurs?, based on eight of the twenty-three manuscripts studied. The edition is accompanied by an English translation and an extensive mathematical commentary on each chapter, enriched with explanatory figures. The comparison between this treatise and the Treatise on the Celestial Globe by Qus?? ibn L?q? (d. ca 912 AD), presented in parallel with the commentary, shows that the former is based on the latter; thus the treatise Dh?t al-kurs? should be considered a Ptolemaic pseudepigraphon. A transcription of the Arabic text of the treatise by Qus?? ibn L?q? based ?n three of the eighteen examined manuscripts is included, so that the reader may compare the two texts. Furthermore, in order to examine Akhawayn's association with the treatise, a bibliographical and historical investigation is conducted, which examines the full range of works attributed to Akhawayn. However, the truth about the authorship was probably lost, as the result of various rivalries in the late fifteenth century. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1. Introduction 1.1 Ptolemy's authentic works and pseudepigrapha: Research on source materials 1.2 The treatise Dh?t al-kurs? 1.3 The instrument dh?t al-kurs? 1.4 Presentation of the manuscripts 1.5 Who was Akhawayn? 2. The Arabic text and translation 3. Commentary on the treatise Dh?t al-kurs? attributed to Ptolemy (treatise P) and comparison with the treatise on the celestial globe by Qus?? ibn L?q? (treatise Q) 4. Conclusions 4.1 Comparison between the treatises P and Q 4.2 Possible sources 4.3 Possible date and place of compilation 4.4 The attribution of the treatise to Akhawayn 4.5 Possible relation to Ptolemy Appendix 1: The treatise on the use of the celestial globe with stand by Qus?? ibn L?q?. The titles of the 65 chapters in English translation Appendix 2: Correspondence between the chapters of the various Arabic manuscripts of treatise Q, the edition of its Latin translation by Lorch and Mart nez G zquez, and treatise P Appendix 3: The Arabic text of the Treatise on the Use of the Celestial Globe with Stand by Qus?? ibn L?q? Bibliography Manuscripts‎