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A Fragment of an Ancient Hymnody Manuscript from Mǝʾǝsar Gwǝḥila (Tǝgray, Ethiopia)
A Fragment of an Ancient Hymnody Manuscript from Mǝʾǝsar Gwǝḥila (Tǝgray, Ethiopia)
Denis Nosnitsin2014, Aethiopica
The article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of an old fragment of a hymnody manuscript recently recorded in one of the ecclesiastic libraries of East Tǝgray. The handwriting on the fragment demonstrates pre-14th century palaeographic features. A peculiarity of the text is represented by the so-called “odd vocalization”, with many words vocalized in a way different from the standard Gǝʿǝz. The content of the fragment is a sequence of antiphons, some having been identified. A non-destructive material analysis, aimed at identifying the chemical components of the inks, revealed that the black ink used in the fragment is dissimilar from the common carbon inks attested in more recent manuscripts of the same ecclesiastic library. It does contain a high quantity of iron and a few other metals; however, it cannot be plainly identified as iron-gall-inks.
Related Papers
Annales d'Ethiopie
A survey of three manuscripts from Tәgray (Ethiopia)2022 •
Three manuscripts were photographed during a survey led in Tәgray region in February 2020 as part of the Troglopie Project. This note intends to alert the scholarly community to these codices. One was photographed by the EMIP project (still unpublished) before this survey, but prior to the photographs completed by this survey, the existence of any photos of the other two manuscripts are unknown to scholars. This note complements the article in the present volume of the Annales d’Éthiopie, ” Églises rupestres du Tәgray oriental et central. Résultats de prospections et hypothèses techniques et socio-économiques,” which concerns the archaeological results of the Troglopie Project. This note will present a brief analysis and synthetic catalogue of these codices as well as consider the relevance of some textual units contained within them. The note will culminate by raising some points of interest as a conclusive discussion.
"A 'Study Manuscript' from Qäqäma (Tegray, Ethiopia): Attempts at Ink and Parchment Analysis", Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Newsletter No. 7, January 2014, 28-31
Denis Nosnitsin - Emanuel Kindzorra - Oliver Hahn - Ira Rabin "A 'Study Manuscript' from Qäqäma (Tegray, Ethiopia): Attempts at Ink and Parchment Analysis"2014 •
My paper for the '1st International Conference of Ethiopia's Manuscripts' is entitled 'Æthiopian Manuscript Heritage, the Unknown Story: Æthiopia in Æthiopic and non- Æthiopic' (vid. pp.6 , 7; also p.2). The premise of my paper was to shew that many works and texts, some of immeasurable value for Aethiopian history, have been overlooked, or uncritically examined. The conference was well organised and accommodating, however, the presentation time was cut short for the participants, and therefore one could not present the length and breadth of the paper I had deemed to present. In short, I mention a number of texts that need analysis in an Aethiopian historical context. For example, Sefer Ha Yashar, Vita Sancti Matthaei and so on &c.. A couple of these works, namely those two just mentioned (see Abstract for a couple more) are nonetheless mentioned by Edward Ullendorff in his 'Ethiopia and the Bible', however, they do not make it into the main body of his work (book), but are merely relegated to his 'Introduction'. And, according to him, his whole work is but a 'survey' of the material. But, also his final statement on all the texts he mentions. On the otherhand, my paper presentation, deemed to elaborate upon them much fuller. Ullendorff, calls 'Sefer Ha Yashar' in his work (book), as 'Yashar Shemot', and styles it an 11th century Midrash (and gives a few references) , yet states that the account therein, which concerns Moses and Aethiopia, is mentioned by Josephus (of the 1st century A.D.), clearly contradicting the dating in reality. Infact, the account can be traced textually at least, centuries earlier B.C. As for the location that this event occured, namely Meroe as stated by Ullendorff and others, which was named Saba in Josephus, this also needs proper analysis to determine the correctness of this toponym and geographical locale. There are other points that could be mentioned in regard to this history. As regards to the 'Vita Sancti Matthaei' (Life of St. Matthew), which I call in my Abstract for this Conference, as 'De rebus gestis a Beato Matthæo Apostolo et Evangelista’ (lib.vii), is of the chiefest import, as it is a 1st century AD text, which records the three principal languages spoken in 1st century Æthiopia, namely ancient Aegyptian, Greek as well as Aethiopic of course. The veracity of this text is second to none. And unquestionably the most important text for Aethiopian History that is preserved in a non-Aethiopic language, being extant primerally in Latin. Ullendorff, although mentioning the text also in his aforementioned book (Schweich lectures), viz. 'Ethiopia and the Bible', again merely relegates it to his 'Introduction'. Ullendorff moreover, does little more for the text than in his other treatment or lack thereof of any real analysis, by citing others who have also hardly touched the matter. Repeating what they have said only in passing and without proper scutiny. For my comments on Ullendorff's poor treatment of this text in passing, and of my critique of the handing of the text of the 'Vita Sancti Matthaei' by Ethiopianist Scholars, one is refered to my Full Article presented in a Conference that same year in Maqala, Northern Aethiopia, at the 20th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, which is entitled 'Neglected Aethioipian HIstory: the Life and Martyrdom of St. Matthew the Apostle of Aethiopia, Neglected and Ignored by Ethiopianists Past and Present' (for this paper in Full, one is refered to my Academia page). . Note that in my article at the 20th ICES I focused upon only one neglected text, in this Conference I aimed to shew many texts that were either overlooked, ignored or are completely unknown in relation to Aethiopia or the studies thereof. In my actual presentation at the Conference, due to our limited time as it was cut short, I decided for the sake of brevity and time resraint to focus upon limited select material. One being the 'Gadla Sadqan ZaDagwa', a 16th century manuscript discovered by the researcher and digitized, but which records therein the history of a host of Monks or Stadqan (Righteous Ones) who came to Aethiopia in the 4th century, two centuries prior to the Nine Saints, and who came in a much larger number than them. I also mentioned the importance of the epigraphic witness of the 'Cippus of Horus' which was discovered by the Ngusa Ngst and given to James Bruce, which he subsequently brought to Scotland. This ancient monument dated from several centuries before the Christian Era, with an Hieroglyphic text, is brought into more contemporary relevance or in need of new analysis in light of the 'Vita Sancti Matthaei', a text extant only in Latin (and Indo-germanic), which explicitly mentions as aforesaid herein, that Ancient Aegyptian was yet spoken (in some form), in 1st century Aethiopia. Hence the Cippus cannot simply be explained away as an import. Other texts, I indicate in my footnotes (vid. my Abstract), that these text hold some valuable data, albeit that the text have not been analysed or even classified. Such as the Aethiopian texts of the መጽሐፈ፡ሱባኤ፡ዘበአማን፡ካልዕ /maṣhaf|a subâ’a|î zaba-’aamân kâl‘o/ and the መጽ ሐ ፈ ፡ ጃ ን ፡ ሾ ዋ /[maṣhaf|a] ḓân šûwâ/, printed by Meri Ras Aman Belay. These latter printed books are taken with much suspicion within Aethiiopia among Indiginous Scholars. And justifiably so in some cases. However I have reviewed these books and others by the author who states that they are based upon manuscripts that he found in the old ruins of a monastary in Nubia. For my presentation to the 1st International Conference of Ethiopia's Manuscripts (1st ICEM), I quite thoroughly examined the contents of another of his books entited 'Mastafa Bruk', which was given to me as a gift on 09/02/2011 by a Scholar related to the same Conference, who thought that it might be of interest to me. I had not had this particular book, but a number of others already by the same author or compiler. And I spoke of this again with the gift giver, infact, before the said conference. Of this 'Mastafa Buruk' (or Blessed Book/Scroll), it has many interesting particulars and peculiarities. I examined its Chronological data in full, and the Nomenclature therein. It deals with the period of the first age, and the second age. I was going to present its data on the First Age. But time did not permit, but I may say in brief, that the texts agrees and disagrees with many texts that relate to the first age, such as the 'Book of Jubilees'. In relation to other books compiled by its author Merri Ras Aman Belay, although they are very difficult to read, not only for its poor writing or printing, notwithstanding, for its mixture of data, or sources for the compilation, yet a lot of very ancient material is contained between the covers of this series of books. But without other supporting material, one dares say, that a lot also must be taken with great care and suspicion. Having said this, one must remember that the source manuscripts that are said to be under the publications and translations, have not been produced yet by the author. But the data presented nonetheless, gives us enough to work on to understand that if the material contained within these books are analysied properly, with proper scrutiny, much is contained therein to benefit us for every age of Aethiopian History going back to the 5th Millennia B.C. or the outset of Aethiopian history. But again, it must be done in such a contrary and difficult work, due to the circumstances of its publication, data, and without access to its source manuscript, so that we may do it, or its authentic data therein, justice. In my analysis of the material from the Second age or Aethiopian Dynasty onwards, there is much of valuable and historic, but one fears that this text needs be treated at present in a treatment all of its own. In order not to interfere with other more staightforward histories. Accordingly, the text is a mixture of Chronicles and Kings Lists. In addition it contains a lot of extra Biblical material (this latter corpus is what may prove the awkward parts of the text to analyse in its present form. But all ought to be taken seriously, no matter how strange, until, fully or better understood, that is, it needs the "Chaff to be separated from the Wheat". And the first step in so doing, is to deal with the Nomenclature and Chronology, and known comparative sources, to contexturalize the material therein further). So many texts unlike this latter that have straigthforward histories that need analysis can be mentioned, but one paper can do little justice to the hoard of texts that speak and pertain to Aethiopian history, geography, &c., a monumentus task that one little discussion-article could not address. See, my Abstract for my paper for this 1st ICEM which I entitled 'Æthiopian Manuscript Heritage, the Unknown Story: Æthiopia in Æthiopic and non- Æthiopic' (vid. pp.6 , 7; & p.2).
"Lesser Known Features of the Ethiopian Codex", in: E. Ficquet, Ahmed Hassen, and T. Osmond, eds., Movements in Ethiopia, Ethiopia in Movement. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, I (Addis Ababa and Los Angeles: CFEE–IES and Tsehai Publishers, 2016), 75–90
Denis Nosnitsin "Lesser-known features of the Ethiopian codex"2016 •
Despite the recent increase of attention to the Ethiopian manuscript culture, our knowledge of the historical features of the Ethiopian codex remains limited. It is confined to the information gathered in a few publications that treat the topic in concise way, or exclude features that appear non-typical or uncommon, or stick to the description of the manuscript culture as it appears today without attempts to obtain a historical picture. Here below, after providing some generalities on the topic, I will briefly refer to a few codicological features of the books that I observed during several years of field research in North Ethiopia (East, South, Central Tigray), where I was able to see and check scores of codices. Those features have not been much attended in the scholarly literature; not necessarily spectacular, ancient or unknown, they are reminiscent of the local manuscript-making practices of the past on one hand, and of the history of individual manuscripts on the other hand.
Inscriptions from Ethiopia. Encoding inscriptions in Beta Maṣāḥǝft, in Irene Rossi – Annamaria De Santis (eds.), Digital Epigraphy (Berlin – New York: De Gruyter, 2018), pp. 84-92 (in cooperation with Pietro Liuzzo). This paper describes the available corpus of inscriptions from the Ethiopian and Eritrean regions giving an overview of this documentation. Some of the challenges involved with the inclusion of these documents in the Beta Maṣāḥǝft project are presented: the connection to already digitally encoded texts, the encoding of the parallel fidal (i.e. Ethiopian script) and transcribed text, and the structuring of the data for the pseudo-trilingual inscription RIÉ nos 185 and 270 (that also has a second copy).
2020 •
Aethiopica International Journal of Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies
The Gǝʿǝz Manuscripts Collection from the Monastery of Däbrä Ṣǝyon (Abunä Abrǝham, Tǝgray, Ethiopia)2023 •
The monastery of Däbrä Ṣǝyon (Abunä Abrǝham), situated on a peak of the eastern chains of the Gärʿalta mountains, is one of the well-known medieval Ethiopian monasteries. It is said to have been established in the fourteenth century by St Abrǝham of Tǝgray. According to his own gädl, Abunä Abrǝham was not only the founder of the monastery, but was also known to be an active participant and director of the architectural work of the rock-hewn church. It is known that Gärʿalta is endowed with reflections of Aksumite culture, and the monastery of Däbrä Ṣǝyon also seems to have had its own share in its continuation. Many places and monasteries (in Tǝgray) are linked to this monastery in terms of shared monastic culture and land granting. Däbrä Ṣǝyon is a rock-hewn church in which many Christian historical artefacts have been preserved. Among the non-codex written artefacts, it has preserved, in particular, a ṭawos manuscript. Seventy-two Gǝʿǝz manuscripts, most of which of hagiographical and liturgical genre, are kept in the church. All were digitized, foliated, with quire number and structure sorted out in 2018, via a project carried out by the St Yared Center for Ethiopian Philology and Manuscript Studies (SYCEPMS) of Mekelle University. Material, physical, and chemical analysis of the manuscripts was not applied due to a lack of equipment and skill. The manuscripts are now in the process of being catalogued and examined for dating, and the article provides a synthetic survey of the whole collection. The ṭawos manuscript, that is, a peacock-type manuscript from the fifteenth century, is part of the collection; its format calls for consideration regarding the definition and significance of a special style of Ethiopic manuscript culture. As a result, this article aims at introducing the monastery and its manuscript collection.
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