Difference between revisions of "Aims of the project"

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The decision to open the project up to a larger group of participants was mainly motivated by the complex nature of the ''clavis''. Not only does it draw on a number of sources which are not yet edited to modern standard, it also covers highly specialized terminology in at least three different languages, in Latin, Greek and Arabic. Any research on those sources requires an in depth study of the ''clavis'', and vice versa.  
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The decision to open the project up to a larger group of participants was mainly motivated by the complex nature of the ''clavis''. Not only does it draw on a number of sources which are not yet edited to modern standard, it also covers highly specialized terminology in at least three different languages, in Latin, Greek and Arabic. Any research on those sources requires an in depth study of the ''clavis'', and vice versa.
  
  

Revision as of 11:57, 12 February 2011

Simon Online is a joint edition and translation project of Simon of Genoa's clavis sanationis (more...). In essence, it is an electronic book written collectively by a number of researchers.


The decision to open the project up to a larger group of participants was mainly motivated by the complex nature of the clavis. Not only does it draw on a number of sources which are not yet edited to modern standard, it also covers highly specialized terminology in at least three different languages, in Latin, Greek and Arabic. Any research on those sources requires an in depth study of the clavis, and vice versa.


This website provides a transcription of an early printing of the clavis along with photographs of the book. It was chosen because it presents a good version of the text; it was also easily available in high resolution photographs. Its main purpose it to serve as a starting point.


From there, I propose to work in a flowing system. If you have published anything on the materia medica covered in the clavis please make this known in the respective lemma and the main bibliography. If you are interested in contributing an entry, you can either look into the history of the text (findings can also be published on separate pages) or write a commentary. Every new editor is also kindly asked to translate a lemma, as this allows us to supply quickly a full translation of the clavis, enabling scholars who do not fluently read Latin to contribute nevertheless. Each entry contains a discussion page which can be used to coordinate research in an informal manner.


The main intended outcomes of the project are a translation and edition of the text with explanatory notes. As a byproduct, the lemmata can also serve as a bibliography to the materia medica discussed.


At this point I would like to emphasize that there is indeed a strong interest in Western medical texts from other fields, which is usually hampered by the lack of translations or other resources. Even if you can only contribute what may seem like nothing but a straightforward translation and some basic bibliography, this may be of help to someone from another institutional setting.


To view the copyright regulations, please click on the icon at the bottom of the page. Contributions can be cited as any other secondary literature.


The project is set up as a Wiki because it is a very user friendly format that is also flexible enough to accommodate any potential developments in editing the text. It also displays very clearly which contributor authored which part of the text.


This project will be extended in due course. Some additional resources are already in preparation, and I am always grateful for any suggestions you might have.


There is a lot of interesting material to be discovered in the clavis, and I invite everybody to have a closer look!