Research seminars – The Norwegian Institute of Philology (PHI)
The Norwegian Institute of Philology organises weekly philological research seminars where we read ancient and classical texts in a number of languages. Please write to seminar@philology.no if you have questions or if you are interested in participating. If you want to register as a student, follow the information on the main seminar page. Seminars are included in programs where students are awarded between 20 and 80 ECTS credits in each program, based on a written assignment (essay/term paper).
HØSTEN 2023:
THE ARABIC ALEXANDER ROMANCE
The Arabic version of the Alexander Romance attributed to Umara b. Zayd (d. 815 AD)
PARTICIPATION IN THIS SEMINAR GIVES ACCESS TO REGISTER FOR AN EXAM IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING COURSE CODES (10 ECTS):
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OTHER COURSE CODES (AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST)
REGISTRATION: READ MORE ON THE MAIN SEMINAR PAGE.
In this seminar we will read parts of the Qissat al-Iskandar (قصة الاسكندر) / Hadith Dhi l-Qarnayn (حديث ذي القرنين), attributed to Umara b. Zayd (d. 815 AD). The aim of the seminar is to read and discuss Håkon Stang's critical edition (in preparation) of the unique MS (British Library, Add. 5928). The Arabic text is part of a great tradition of literary stories told about Alexander the great, found in numerous languages, East and West.
The Arabic tradition is complex, and most works are still in manuscript. Fortunately, Doufikar-Aerts' discovery of the "Quzman" version (Bibliothèque nationale, MS 3687) has given us a text which seems to be a direct translation of the Syriac version (Doufikar-Aerts, Alexander Magnus Arabicus, 2010, p. 59 and passim). We will therefore be in a position to better understand how the Umara b. Zayd-text was composed, since many of its parts seem to stem from the Quzman version.
THE ARABIC ALEXANDER
TIME AND PLACE:
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Registered participants will receive information about the time and place of this seminar.