Kitab al-Hayawan (Aristotle)
Encyclopedia
The Kitāb al-hayawān is an Arabic translation in 19 treatises (maqālāt) of the following zoological texts by Aristotle
:
Historia Animalium
: treatises 1-10
De Partibus Animalium
: treatises 11-14
De Generatione Animalium
: treatises 15-19
While the book is often attributed to one Yahyà bin al-Bitrīq, the translator is unknown. However, from certain oddities in the Arabic, it has been deduced that it is a translation of a lost Syriac version. The complete text is available only in MS
form (in Tehran
), but treatises 11-14 (De Partibus) have been edited as Ajzā’ al-hayawān (The Parts of Animals) (Ed. ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Badawī. Kuwait: Wakālat al-matbū‘āt, 1978), and 15-19 (De Generatione) as Fī kawn al-hayawān (On the Being of Animals) (Ed. J. Brugman and H.J. Drossaart Lulofs. Leiden: Brill, 1971).
’s early 13th-century Latin
translation of the Kitāb al-hayawān, De Animalibus, is worthy of mention as the vehicle of transmission into Western Europe. It was alleged by Roger Bacon
that Scot “had appropriated to himself the credit of translations which more properly belonged to one Andreas the Jew.” This may mean that he had help with the Arabic MS, or that he worked fully or in part from a Judaeo-Arabic or Hebrew version. Scot's De Animalibus is available in a partial edition (Scot, Michael. De Animalibus. Vols 1-3. Leiden: Brill, 1992).
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
:
Historia Animalium
History of Animals
History of Animals is a zoological natural history text by Aristotle.-Arabic translation:The Arabic translation of Historia Animalium comprises treatises 1-10 of the Kitāb al-Hayawān .-See also:...
: treatises 1-10
De Partibus Animalium
On the Parts of Animals
On the Parts of Animals is a text by Aristotle. It was written around 350 BC. The whole work is roughly a study in animal anatomy and physiology; it aims to provide a scientific understanding of the parts of animals.-Arabic translation:The Arabic translation of De Partibus Animalium comprises...
: treatises 11-14
De Generatione Animalium
Generation of Animals
The Generation of Animals is a text by Aristotle.-Arabic translation:...
: treatises 15-19
While the book is often attributed to one Yahyà bin al-Bitrīq, the translator is unknown. However, from certain oddities in the Arabic, it has been deduced that it is a translation of a lost Syriac version. The complete text is available only in MS
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
form (in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
), but treatises 11-14 (De Partibus) have been edited as Ajzā’ al-hayawān (The Parts of Animals) (Ed. ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Badawī. Kuwait: Wakālat al-matbū‘āt, 1978), and 15-19 (De Generatione) as Fī kawn al-hayawān (On the Being of Animals) (Ed. J. Brugman and H.J. Drossaart Lulofs. Leiden: Brill, 1971).
K. al-hayawān in the Christian West
Finally, Michael ScotMichael Scot
Michael Scot was a medieval mathematician and scholar.- Early life and education :He was born in Scotland, and studied first at the cathedral school of Durham and then at Oxford and Paris, devoting himself to philosophy, mathematics, and astrology...
’s early 13th-century Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
translation of the Kitāb al-hayawān, De Animalibus, is worthy of mention as the vehicle of transmission into Western Europe. It was alleged by Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
that Scot “had appropriated to himself the credit of translations which more properly belonged to one Andreas the Jew.” This may mean that he had help with the Arabic MS, or that he worked fully or in part from a Judaeo-Arabic or Hebrew version. Scot's De Animalibus is available in a partial edition (Scot, Michael. De Animalibus. Vols 1-3. Leiden: Brill, 1992).