Linguistics meets Veterinary Medicine
13th Century Armenian
Medical Book
on Horses has been Translated
An Armenian manual about horse medicine from the 13th century has been
translated into German for the first
time. The compendium isArmenia’s oldest preserved veterinary medical
work and offers an overall view of expert knowledge about horses during the
late 13th century in theNear East. The
Austrian Science Fund FWF supported this project and it was made possible thanks
to an Austrian Armenologist, her excellent knowledge about the country and its
language as well as her close cooperation with veterinarians inVienna.
This oldest known manual about Armenian horse medicine consists of 184
handwritten pages. It was written in the Armeniankingdom ofCilicia
between 1295 and 1298. An Armenian monk proficient in languages and a Syrian horse
veterinary were responsible for writing this work.
Now, almost 750 years later, a similar interdisciplinary cooperation has led to
the work’s translation into German. For this project, the linguist Dr. Jasmine
Dum-Tragut, from the Institute for Linguistics at theUniversity
ofSalzburg, worked closely with
scientists from theUniversity
ofVeterinary Medicine Vienna.
Herbs Heal Horses In addition to the actual translation, it was possible to
prepare an extensive addendum that offers detailed insight into veterinary
medicine in theNear East in those days.
Furthermore, the work also includes comments on 13th-century veterinary medical
knowledge from a contemporary perspective. For example, experts from theUniversity ofVeterinary Medicine Vienna were particularly
surprised that knowledge of the use of medicinal herbs in those days was much
more advanced than it is today. The plants came from the Armenian Highlands and
they were also used to treat human diseases.
However, the Cilician horse manual comprises much more than “just" medical
knowledge. The first chapter explains the creation of the horse. The following chapters
describe the good and bad characteristics of horses, breeding, the different
races known at that time, breaking in and riding, horse care and defects. Only
the last chapters deal with different types of pain as well as illnesses,
symptoms and treatments.
Thus, this historical and medical work offers insight as well as different
facets of the cultural history ofArmenia and horses. In addition, as
Dr. Dum-Tragut explains: "The Cilician book on curing horses is a real scientific
treasury. Not only for the analysis of the Armenian language, but also for the
history of literature and the social history of horses inArmenia." Altogether, the
manual offers an overall view of the knowledge about horses in theNear East during the Middle Ages. Dr. Dum-Tragut came to
this conclusion through intensive studies of source references: "The book
mentions an Indian book as well as two Arabian works as references. Studying
these original references in Persian and Greek clearly shows that the Cilician
book on the curing of horses is not a mere translation of already existing
information: it is an independent Compendium."
Terms Taken for a Ride A central aspect of this two-and-a-half-year project was
also to investigate the terminology of special Armenian technical terms
mentioned in the manual. In order to clearly establish their meanings, Dr. Dum-Tragut
had many conversations with Armenian horse breeders, farmers and veterinarians.
During her research, she noticed that these people generally prefer Russian or
Turkish technical terms over Armenian ones. Apart from the know-how, the
special vocabulary applied in the Cilician horse book seemed to be in jeopardy
of becoming extinct. Therefore, Dr. Dum-Tragut included this vocabulary in a
glossary for reasons related to linguistic preservation. It did not take long
to notice the success of this measure, because breeders have already started to
reincorporate this historic vocabulary of the Armenian language. This is a fact
that especially pleases Dr. Dum-Tragut – as well as many horse lovers inArmenia. And
that is also why in 2003, an Armenian breeder decided to express his
appreciation to Dr. Dum-Tragut. He gave the enthusiastic horse-rider a gift: a
colt named “Bor” - an especially beautiful sort of research funding.
Image and text will be available online from Monday, 20th June 2005,09.00 a.m. MEZ onwards: http://www.fwf.ac.at/en/press/horses.html
Publication
Jasmine Dum-Tragut, "Kilikische Heilkunst für Pferde - Das Vermächtnis der
Armenier" (The Cilician Art of Healing Horses - The Armenian
Legacy"). Comments, translation, glossary. Editorial OLMS Verlag, Hildesheim
2005. (Available in German only)
Scientific
Contact
Dr. Jasmine Dum-Tragut
University of Salzburg
Institute for Linguistics
Mühlbacherhofweg 6
A-5020Salzburg
Tel.: +43 / (0)662 / 8044 - 4259
E-mail: jasmine.dum.tragut@inode.at
Austrian Science Fund FWF
Mag. Stefan Bernhardt
Weyringergasse 35
A-1040Vienna
Tel.: +43 / (0)1 / 505 67 40 - 36
E-mail: bernhardt@fwf.ac.at
Issued by
PR&D - Public Relations for Research & Development
Campus Vienna Biocenter 2
A-1030 Vienna
Tel.: +43 / (0)1 / 505 70 44
E-mail: contact@prd.at
Vienna,
June 20, 2005
(03/07/05)
Top
Hamam - Commentary on the Book of Proverbs
by Robert W. Thomson
Subtitle: Edition of the Armenian Text, English Translation, Notes and Introduction
Publication of New Volume in Hebrew University Armenian Series
The Armenian Studies program is happy to announce the publication of
Robert W. Thomson's new work, Haman: Commentary on the Book
or Proverbs. Hamam, a little known author of the late
ninth century, is the author of this, one of the earliest surviving
Armenian biblical commentaries.
For further information see:
http://www.peeters-leuven.be/boekoverz.asp?nr=7897
(05/05/05)
Top
Armenian and Iranian Studies by James R.
Russell,
(Harvard
Armenian Texts and Studies, 9),
published by Dept. of Near Eastern Languages
and Literatures
of Harvard University and Armenian Heritage Press of National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2004,
1462 pages.
James
Russell is Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University and, so, holds one of the most
prestigious Armenian chairs in North America. In this very thick book he has
gathered and reprinted his scholarly articles of the past two decades,
including some which are still in print, as well as a couple of unpublished
pieces. They are 91 in number. It is a great service to have gathered them all
in one place, because they are scattered in very numerous journals, and I
cannot imagine that anyone has actually seen all of them before.
It is a
service also because as diverse as are the journals, so widespread and
extensive are Russell's interests. Nearly always focusing on either and
Armenian or and Iranian theme, and very often on the interplay between the two,
he has covered a period of time from the pre-Christian religion and oral
literature of Armenia (e.g., no. 30 "Pre-Christian Armenian Religion"
or no. 29 "CarminaVahangi") down to Armenian creativity in the
twentieth century, with a special interest in the great Armenian poet Eghishe
Charents (nos. 75, 87 - where he published previously unknown poems by
Charents).
Russell's
interests in general turn around the Armenian epic tradition. In our conversations,
he has always maintained the continuity between the ancient epic, of which the
so-called Songs of Koghtn are the oldest surviving fragments, the medieval and
late medieval Armenian epic and narrative tradition (e.g., no. 52, 61) and its
modern form in the well-known Epic of David of Sasun. He likes drawing lines of
connection, and so highlights the relationship between Iranian religion
(Zoroastrianism) and Armenian pre-Christian religion, or the Iranian elements
surviving in Armenian culture. He has had a sustained interest in
non-conventional forms of religion in Armenia (see no. 24, 509, 53, etc.),
Magic and mysticism also come into his purview, as well as a great sensitivity
to the spiritual tradition, particularly as exhibited in the works of Grigor
Narekatsi.
James
Russell is a learned and productive scholar and has cast light on numerous
aspects of Armenian religious and cultural life. His interests have not been in
the "conventional" or "usual" dimensions of Armenian
culture, but in aspects of epic, popular and religious culture that are little
known and less appreciated than they should be. The complexity of the Armenian
tapestry is well highlighted in this work.
It will
be of great interest to everybody who realises that Armenian creativity goes
beyond the well-worn and familiar clichés.
Despite
the difficulty that it would have involved, a subject index would have enhanced
the usefulness of the book and the accessibility of its contents. The list of
keywords on pages xvii-xxvii does not replace an index and this reviewer wishes
that even that list had been put into alphabetic order. To find something, one
has to read ten pages of small print.
Harvard
Armenian Series and NAASR and to be congratulated for sponsoring the work of
this very fecund and insightful scholar.
Reviewed by Michael E. Stone
Purchase information available form NAASR
(06/02/05)
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