Manuscript Collections Research Articles

«Скитское покаяние» в монастырских рукописях XV в.

The understudied text known as “The Skete Repentance” is a prayer related to the monastic penitential discipline. The author of this article identified two new copies of it in manuscript collections of Russian monasteries. Both copies date back to the end of the 15th century. One of them is located in Buslaev’s Psalter, a unique manuscript distinguished by outstanding quality of its calligraphy and ornament. A content analysis of the manuscript and of the text of “The Skete Repentance” allows us to shed light on the circumstances around the creation of the manuscript and on the evolution of the text of the repentance prayer.

Rękopiśmienny słowniczek wileńskiej gwary ludowej Artura Dolińskiego jako źródło do badań gwar polskich

The article presents a manuscript collection of dialect lexicon from the 2nd half of the 19th century compiled by Artur Doliński. The glossary records the vocabulary characteristic of the folk dialect of the Vilnius area. The author has established that in terms of methodology, Doliński’s work differs from other studies of this type (the entries are not arranged alphabetically, they lack qualifiers or explicataions of how to use a particular word). However, this does not diminish the value of the work under discussion, since the glossary records unknown lexemes from historical Lithuania, and attests to phonetic and grammatical features inherent in the borderland variety of the language. This makes Doliński’s work an important source for the study of Polish dialects in the 19th century Northeastern Borderlands.

Średniowieczne polonica i silesiaca ze zbiorów Archiwum Uniwersytetu Karola w Pradze

The article presents a brief history of the medieval manuscript collections of the Charles University Archives in Prague which includes a catalogue of 13 medieval (1345– –1508) Polish and Silesian charters stored there

«Сия книга грешного Степана»

The note is a brief description of the manuscript collection stored at the Pushkin House and compiled at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries by the priest Stepan Vasilyevich Olkhovsky. A lo-ver of literature and, above all, poetry, he held the works by G. R. Derzhavin in an especially high esteem, and thus Derzhavin was represented in his collection by numerous poems of various years. Olkhovsky also enjoyed the verse by E. S. Urusova, approved of the efforts of N. M. Karamzin, showed interest in the work of I. I. Dmitriev, and made a point of reading the verse by the young poets, V. I. Krasovsky and P. S. Kaysarov. It is noteworthy that the collection opens with an ano-nymous translation of the fi rst three songs of Voltaire’s famous anticlerical poem The Orleans Virgin, as well as a burlesque poem by E. P. Lutsenko and A. M. Kotelnitsky The Abduction of Proserpine.

Unknown Autograph of François de La Noue from St. Petersburg: Flemish Itinerary of the Breton captain in November 1579

The article is dedicated to the Huguenot military leader of the times of the Religious Wars in France, the Breton nobleman François, seigneur de La Noue, one of the legendary captains of the 16th century. In the 1570s captain de La Noue considered by his contemporaries as a successor to the traditions of honor and noble qualities of the knight Bayard. He actively fought, including on the side of the Flemish Protestants in their struggle against Spanish rule. Based on a study of correspondence and movements of the La Noue military camp in the fall of 1579, the authors reconstruct the historical context around the captain's unknown autograph of November 1579, stored in the funds of the Scientific and Historical Archive of St. Petersburg Institute of History, as part of the manuscript collection of Nikolay P. Likhachev, offering their own version of the dating of this undated document. The autograph is a letter of guarantee protecting the inhabitants of the village of Bondieu / Bondues and aimed at ensuring the unhindered supply of food products to the cities of Flanders/Netherlands, controlled by the by the States General.

Tematizácia osmanského ohrozenia v kazateľskej tvorbe Izáka Abrahamidesa Hrochotského

As part of the manuscript collection of sermons written by Isaac Abrahamides Hrochotius, an evangelical preacher in Zvolen, two separate sermons dedicated to the problem of the Ottoman threat have been preserved. Both sermons date from 1600 and were written in Slovakized Czech. The first sermon was preached by Abrahamides in front of the army. The calls for boldness, morality and piety of soldiers, as well as expressive commenting especially when describing enemies, correspond to this. He preached the second sermon in front of the burghers, which is probably why the language is more gentle. The sermon contains admonition for penance and riticism of Christian society. Both sermons have a common feature that is plundering of the Zvolen region by the Crimean Tatars (Ottoman allies) in 1599. Expecting a new Ottoman attack, the preacher encouraged the believers and urged them to abandon sinful lives. Obviously, Martin Luther's ideas are inspiration for both sermons.

Father Hermann Kniebandl (1679–1745), lutenist, composer and scribe from the Cistercian Abbey of Grüssau, Silesia

Abstract This article is concerned with one of the largest surviving collections of 18th-century lute tablature manuscripts, from the Cistercian abbey of Grüssau in Silesia (now Krzeszów, Poland). The collection consists of 15 volumes of manuscript lute tablature, containing more than 2,000 pieces for Baroque lute. I focus on a group of otherwise unknown compositions from these sources, all connected with the entwined monogram ‘HK’. Contemporary sources, including previously unexplored correspondence, suggest that these initials can be associated with Father Hermann Kniebandl, who also seems to have been one of the scribes represented in the collection—the first to have been identified in the entire collection up to now. Furthermore, among the works copied in this hand are seven pieces identified with the ‘HK’ monogram which may be the first identified autograph compositions by Kniebandl. Until now, his name has been associated only with the title-pages of two manuscripts from the Grüssau collection, but both are dedications copied by other scribes (though the music that follows in one of these sources is copied in his hand).

Narrating codex history: the case study of a psalter-hymnal from Alcobaça Monastery, Portugal

ABSTRACT This article provides the first in-depth study of historic content and materials used in the production of a liturgical codex from the collection of manuscripts of the Monastery of Alcobaça: the Psalter-hymnal (Lisbon, National Library, Alc. 11). To answer provenance questions and trace the manuscript’s history, a multidisciplinary team studied the entire procedure of making the codex, which went from in-depth textual, liturgical, and codicological analyses, to examining material composition and bookbinding methods with complementary analytical techniques. The team was able to track the manuscript’s historical trajectory through successive additions and interventions/alterations. Interpretation of the historic information and the resulting technical data confirmed the belief that this is a twelfth-century manuscript produced in the scriptorium of Alcobaça and underlined the role that the manuscript played in this Cistercian monastery during the Middle Ages, and possibly throughout the following centuries. This led the team to approach the codex’s “cultural significance” and perceive later alterations and interventions as evidence of the monks’ intensive use of this manuscript and the great care they took to preserve their monastic library. The new data and knowledge acquired about this precious codex proved to be fundamental for future digital access policy definition and the conservation making decision.

Teodoro Narbuto mokslinė korespondencija kaip veikalo Dzieje narodu litewskiego „akademiškumo“ liudijimas

Teodoro Narbuto mokslinė korespondencija kaip veikalo Dzieje narodu litewskiego „akademiškumo“ liudijimas

Opening the Chrysalis: Willard D. Straight’s Sketches, Photographs, and Accounts of Korea’s Interaction with the Outside World, 1904–5

Abstract Willard D. Straight – architect, diplomat, photographer, publisher, sketcher, and writer – arrived in Korea in 1904 as a correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War, and became the US vice consul in Seoul in 1905. By utilizing a number of images from the Willard Dickerman Straight Papers of Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, and by referring to other relevant sources of/about Straight, this essay presents a textual analysis and comprehensive visual reading about the country which Straight observed in a very crucial transition period in global history. It provides a glimpse at the perspective of an early twentieth-century American diplomat, eyewitness, photographer, and writer on the cultural, industrial, and technological transformations that Korea experienced in the early 1900s as a consequence of its interaction with major world powers.

Nature and extent of degradation and deterioration of Medavela Rajamaha Vihara Palm Leaf Manuscript Collection

Palm Leaf Manuscripts faced the threat of deliberate as well as unintentional destruction since ancient times. Custodian individuals and personnel protected the collections from natural and manmade disasters by adhering to the traditional conservation and preservation methods that prevailed for generations. However, the advent of printing, absence of patronage, lack of know-how, less priority paid, and attitudinal changes led Palm Leaf Manuscript collections to deteriorate fast, especially after the beginning of colonial administration. Hence, this study is carried out to identify the condition of the Palm Leaf Manuscript available at the Medavela Rajamaha Vihara based on the nature and extent of the degradation and deterioration. To investigate the collection of qualitative data collection techniques such as survey method and observations was employed to draw data. Palm Leaves as a natural organic material, has been deteriorated owing to several factors. Chemical, physical, and biological degradation, caused by improper storage, incorrect climatic conditions, inappropriate handling, and damage instigated by pests are among the many circumstances that caused the condition of these manuscripts. Safeguarding the collection is suggested by adhering to both modern and traditional techniques. Future research avenues are open for documentation, conservation, and preservation of the collection.

По следам источников В.Г. Тизенгаузена в арабском томе по истории Золотой Орды

Research objective and materials: This article is devoted to the analysis of the results of the work carried out on the sources used by Vladimir Tiesenhausen in the compiling the Arabic volume of the “Collection of Materials Relating to the History of the Golden Horde”. Results and novelty of the research: A comparative study of texts extracted by Vladimir G. Tiesenhausen in 1884, with their new editions, presented the following picture: one group of publications represents academic editions with quality translations, accompanied by professionally executed commentaries. Another part of the sources was published based on one part of existing copies. As practice shows, sometimes the older and complete copies of published works remained out of coverage in such publications; their existing editions are not taken into account. The third group of sources is composed of works that remain in manuscript form to the present day. One such work – “al-‘Aylam al-zakhir fi akhbar al-awa’il wa-l-awakhir” by Mustafa ibn Hasan al-Janabi – exists in numerous copies. Searches and the discovery of its copies in Turkish funds show such source studies’ problems as incomplete cataloging of manuscript collections, unprofessional descriptions by compilers of some catalogues, inconsistency in the provided titles of the works and the names of their authors. The autograph (Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi, Yeni Cami, no. 831) and two full texts (Köprülü Kütüphanesi, Fazıl Ahmet Paşa, nos. 1031, 1032) are of great value in the publication of “al-‘Aylam al-zakhir”. The result is the formation of a creative portrait for the author of a published work and the creation of a complete image for his work on the basis of its copies. This may ensure against potential errors.

Аутентичная запись эпической песни «Деед богд хан Җаңһрин йовдлын тууль» («Сказание о походе высокочтимого богдо Джангар-хана») Багацохуровского цикла «Джангара» (транслитерация на латинице)

Goals. The article introduces an Oirat-to-Latin transliteration of one authentic text of The Song of His Majesty Bogdo Jangar’s Campaign integral to the Baga Tsokhor cycle of the Jangar currently known under the title The Song of How Ulan Khongor the Mighty and Savar the Heavy-Handed Defeated Seven Irrepressible Boars [Warriors] of Khan Zambal the Furious. Materials and methods. The study explores an original Clear Script manuscript stored at the Scientific Archive of the Russian Geographical Society. The main research method is that of transliteration. Results. Scientific description of written monuments contained in manuscript collections and archives of Mongolist centers is undoubtedly of great importance. Latin transliteration of Kalmyk folklore samples and their introduction into scientific circulation shall make them available to a wider circle of specialists.

Архивные диалектные материалы по истории и социологии башкирского языка в Научном архиве и фондах редких книг и рукописей Уфимского федерального исследовательского центра РАН

Introduction. The article examines early-to-mid 20th century Bashkir dialect materials stored at archival collections of Ufa Federal Research Centre (RAS). Goals. The study aims at interpreting and identifying the dialect materials for available documents related to history and sociology of the Bashkir language. Materials and methods. The work analyzes reports and other documents of 1920s–1930s dialect and comprehensive research expeditions supervised by N. Dmitriev, as well as old printed books, dictionaries and other 18th–19th century materials from the Scientific Library and collections of rare books and manuscripts. The main research methods employed are descriptive, comparative, and diachronic ones. Results. The paper shows that participants of expeditions succeeded in collecting not only linguistic and folklore materials but also that dealing with sociology of Bashkir. Moreover, the former not only examined the language situation but also made their proposals on the language of instruction in the field, thus improving the literary language, compiling dictionaries and textbooks. Conclusions. The most valuable materials on history and sociology of the Bashkir language have been deposited in archives of Ufa Federal Research Centre (RAS). Those reflect 18th – 20th century linguistic peculiarities, specifics of language policy, state of the Bashkir language in crucial years of the 20th century

An Unattributed Miscellanea of Shi‛a Traditions <i>(hadith)</i>in the Collection of Arabic Manuscripts of IOM RAS

The present research is aimed to identify the unattributed miscellanea of Shi‛a traditions (hadithes) in the collection of the Arabic manuscripts of the IOM RAS. The analysis of Shi‛a traditions ithnads and its comparison with the data from other Shi‛a authors (ash-Shaykh as-Saduk, an-Najashi, at-Tihrani, Muhammad at-Tusi) gives a foundation to affirm that it is the miscellanea Sahifat ar-Rida (Scroll of ar-Rida). It is one of authoritative and trustworthy sources of Shi‛a religious doctrine, law, cult, moral, ethics. Copies of this miscellanea are kept in the collections of Arabic manuscripts in various countries. In this context the identification of the Saint-Petersburg miscellanea of Shi‛a traditions (hadithes) may be useful for a further preparation of academic critical publication of Sahifat ar-Rida.

ENCODING AND TRANSCODING OF TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE HISTORICAL CORPUS “MANUSCRIPT”

The article considers capabilities of using Cyrillic blocks of the Unicode Standard for the purpose of creating transcriptions, which would represent graphics of medieval Slavonic manuscripts. In addition, much attention is given to the fact that the Unicode Standard provides variants of Cyrillic letters, which means that one can accurately enough record graphic features of manuscripts. However, some variants of certain letters are still missing, and that is why there exists a need to use additional agreements of character encoding, which code points are placed in special blocks and Private Use Areas and not in standard ranges of Unicode. The Manuscript - a historical corpus - is the example of a big machine-readable collection of medieval Slavonic manuscripts. It was created on the base of Oracle DBMS with the use of a specialized system of codes and fonts. Transference of the corpus to other technological platforms or usage of external software (including separate texts, parts of corpora, selections) for analysis of linguistic data would be possible only after downloaded files are recoded to the Unicode Standard. A comparative analysis of the character blocks used in the corpus and in the current version 14.0 of the Unicode Standard leads to the conclusion that recoding either results in losses of graphic features or requires usage of a supplementary set of varying characters with code points of Private Use Areas. Instances when there are two or more characters of the Unicode Standard that correspond to one recoded character of the Manuscript are analyzed. It is also stated that numerous ligatures and certain singular graphemes are missing in the standard blocks and in the blocks of Private Use Areas.

Reconstructing Book Collections of Medieval Elbląg

Medieval manuscript collections in Teutonic Prussia have been particularly affected by numerous events in modern history, such as the Polish-Swedish wars and the turmoil after World War II. Still, the attempts to reconstruct the local collections may shed new light on the intellectual history of this historical region. To this date this kind of research was based mostly on surviving manuscripts with Prussian origin or provenance, that is, manuscripts produced or used in the territory of Prussia, supplemented by evidence on lost volumes derived from archival inventories. The article, taking as an example the history of collections of the city of Elbląg, discusses the potential of systematic studies of parchment waste used in bindings of manuscripts and printed books for reconstructing the intellectual landscape of the territory in question. It presents the range of provenance evidence that can link manuscript waste to the territory of Teutonic Prussia, including content, script, musical notation, binding and other material evidence.

Document of October 10th, 1365 on the Cession of the Benedictine Monastery to the Nuns of St. Clare in Kotor

The first mentions of the nuns of St. Clare in Kotor date from the fourth decade of the 14th century. Their position in that commune improved in the second half of that century. In December 1364, at the request of the Kotor authorities, Pope Urban V asked the Bishop of Kotor, Dujmo II, to restore the former Benedictine monastery due to the needs of the nuns St. Clare. In the presence of the highest authorities of Kotor, on October 10th, 1365, a document on this legal action was issued. It is preserved in a transcript in the manuscript collection II b 21, held in the manuscript department of the Archives of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb. The document contained the act of assigning the monastery to the Clarisses, prescribing the income which was given on that occasion to the monastery of St. Clare, as well as the appointment of Clare of Foro Julius as its first nun. Part of the transferred revenues consisted of communal revenues from fish market customs duties. The second part of the donation consisted of revenues in the amount of two hundred perpers, half of which came from the butcher's slaughterhouse, and the other half from customs revenue on wine. Customs officers or gabellers, ie persons who leased the mentioned revenues, were obliged to take care of the collection of those revenues. Revenues that the monastery of St. Clare received in October 1365 and are mentioned during the 15th century. Dukal of October 15th, 1447, says that the Venetian authorities after Kotor accepted their rule, recognized the right of the nuns of St. Clare on the said revenues. However, Kotor municipal authorities have occasionally challenged the right to collect assigned revenues, as well as the right to elect procurators themselves. That is why the nuns complained to the Venetian authorities, who ordered the Kotor authorities to allow them to enjoy the allocated income and the right to elect procurators themselves. The problem of paying the income from the fish market to the Clarisses was also present at the end of the 15th century, and Venetian authorities had to intervene.

A Family of Books: The Damascene Shaṭṭīs and Textual Transmission

Abstract The article explores continuities between manuscript and print culture by way of an investigation into the book-related practice of three members of the Ḥanbalī al-Shaṭṭī family. By using a diverse set of sources, it presents a view on the turn from manuscript to print during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that moves beyond technological determinism. By examining authorship, manuscript collections, and print publication, it proposes to include the institution of the family as well as the emerging global market for Arabic manuscripts into research of this medial shift.

Ada Aksara di Antara Angka dan Bulatan Itu: Sakala Dihyang dan Upaya Penafsirannya

Sakala Dihyang is a kind of chronogram that considered as puzzle in the Merapi-Merbabu manuscript collection. This article purposes to discuss the issue about how to interpret this kinds, especially through the list of the numbers, alphabets, and circles combination that found in the manuscript 6 L 107 (folio 25r) and ms. 14 L 290 (folio 16v). The amalgamation of numbers and circles in sakala dihyang constructs the series of—preciselly four—disyllabic words, arranged in aṅkānāṃ vāmato gatiḥ principles, the writing moves from right to left, and every disyllabic words represents a specific number. Sakala Dihyangis similar to sakala milir (in Javanese: sěngkalan lamba), a kind of chronogram used bhūtasaṃkhya system, but it uses the implicit expression. The interpretation to sakal dihyang can assisted by other chorongram (mělok, milir, dan koci) that are used in the same discourse simultaneouslly. The kakawin contains the list of words used in chronogram, i.e. Candrabhūmi, is also functioned in the interpretation process. The arranging pattern of disyllabic word structureused in sakala dihyang is also become obstruction in its interpretation process—especially when it compares to Candrabhūmi. Because of disyllabic structure is the necessity in sakala dihyang composition, conversely the words in candrabhūmi list do not always shave disyllabic structure, and so its modification pattern is also discussed in this article.