Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus

The Project Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus (PAL) is dedicated to the edition and study of the Arabic and Latin versions of Ptolemy’s astronomical and astrological texts and related material. These include works by Ptolemy or attributed to him, commentaries thereupon, and other works that are of immediate relevance to understanding Ptolemy’s heritage in the Middle Ages and the early modern period up to 1700 A.D.

The PAL online database offers the following items:

• Works: a catalogue of Ptolemaic works (Arabic and Latin) in three categories:

  1. Authentic Works
  2. Pseudepigrapha
  3. Commentaries (including revisions, abridgements, paraphrases etc.)
• Manuscripts: a catalogue of Ptolemaic manuscripts (Arabic and Latin)
• Early Prints: a catalogue of Ptolemaic early printed editions (Latin only)
• Images: reproductions of Ptolemaic works from a selected manuscript or early printed edition. As far as possible, these reproductions are high definition colour pictures.
• Texts: searchable transcriptions of Ptolemaic works prepared from a selected manuscript or early printed edition
• Glossary: a Greek-Arabic-Latin-English glossary of astronomical and astrological terms

The PAL database was first published in December 2016 and is being implemented almost on a daily basis, but visitors should be aware that it is still very much a work in progress.

Feedback and comments are welcome at info@ptolemaeus.badw.de.