The Margins at the Centre: New Light on Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 2967

Abstract

Marginal elements within manuscripts, especially when unsystematic, disorganised, and heterogenous, are often ignored by scholars who intentionally decide to prioritise the centre over the margins. Accordingly, the lion’s share of printed and online catalogues addresses the margins en passant. But to what extent is this approach fruitful to a comprehensive study of manuscripts? By focusing exclusively on margins, this article proposes to demonstrate that marginal annotations are instrumental in providing an exhaustive study of manuscripts in terms of historical reconstruction, and with regard to the annotators’ life, interests, and expertise. The interdisciplinarity of the study of margins stands out inasmuch as it mixes first-hand palaeographical and codicological examinations with a scrutinization of the sources. Specifically, the history of Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 2967 will be unveiled with regard to the major events and people connected to it.