Ian D. Morris

Tidbits of wisdom on the origins of Islam
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Mecca before Islam: 6) Ananias of Shirak

December 27, 2018 Leave a Comment

The sixth in a series on pre-Islamic sources adduced for Mecca. Previous: 5) The Samaritan Asatir   “ew z-Fa[ṙ]anitē yorum Faṙan awan, zor karcem ’i Tačkac‘ Mak‘a koč‘el” “…and Pharanitis, where the town of Pharan [is located], which I think the Arabs… Continue Reading →

Armenian, Mecca, Middle Persian, Paran

“Makrūb” and Macoraba

December 26, 2018 Leave a Comment

In my recent article on “Mecca and Macoraba”, I revisit an idea that was proposed by Jan Retsö in his 2003 monograph The Arabs in Antiquity. Tucked away in an endnote (p. 450 n. 61), Retsö suggests that Macoraba might… Continue Reading →

Mecca before Islam: 5) The Samaritan Asatir

November 24, 2018 3 Comments

The fifth in a series on pre-Islamic sources adduced for Mecca. Previous: 4) Narsai’s homily Next: 6) Ananias of Shirak   “w-kul bnayū d-Neba’ot mlakū… m-nahr Meṣrēm ‘ad nahr Frāt wa-bnū Makah” “All the sons of Nebaioth reigned… from the river of… Continue Reading →

Aramaic, Mecca, Samaritans

Mecca before Islam: 4) Narsai’s homily

November 20, 2018 2 Comments

The fourth in a series on pre-Islamic sources adduced for Mecca. Previous: 3) Dabanegoris regio Next: 5) The Samaritan Asatir. “l-mā Qdešāyē aḥyānē ’nūn da-bnay Hāgār” “Are the Qadeshis brothers with the sons of Hagar?” —Narsai of Nisibis   In a recent… Continue Reading →

Mecca, Syriac

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    Nicole Merkel-Hilf Newly published ❗️Another #CrossAsiaeBooks publication appeared today - Translating Islam, Translating Religion: Co… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  • @DannyBate4 March 4, 2021

    Danny Bate It probably won't astound anyone that the Greek word kólla, meaning 'glue', is the origin of English 'collage'. Th… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  • @Sonja_Drimmer March 4, 2021

    𝕊onja Drimmer Trying as hard as I can to hold my 14th-century students' attention while teaching remotely. https://t.co/H1D2RfCjHI

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