“Just as Fragments are Part of a Vessel”: A Translation into Medieval Occitan of the Life of Alexander the Great

Abstract

This article examines the Occitan prose biography of Alexander the Great, which is for the most part a translation of Justin’s Epitoma historiarum Philippicarum of Pompeius Trogus. The text appears in L’Abreujamen de las estorias (c.1321-1326), an Occitan version of the universal chronicle by Fra Paolino Veneto (c.1270-1344). It is a rare example of vernacular translation of Justin’s influential work. Studying this unedited text provides new insights into the working methods of late medieval translators.