Ethiopic Historiographical Texts: Textual Transmission, Edition, Translation, and Interpretation

Ethiopic Historiographical Texts contains selected papers, which were first presented at the International Workshop on Ethiopic Historiographical Texts, held at the University of Hamburg from June 29-30, 2023. The workshop was part of the DFG-funded project The Chronicle of King Sarda Dangal (r. 1563-1597). The contributions, which cover the period from the 14th to the 20th-century, examine royal chronicles, universal histories, a 19th-century Amharic chronicle, oral and written historiography, and archival materials. Edited by Solomon Gebreyes Beyene, the volume also explores the textual tradition of royal historiography, offers methodological reflections on the editing of such works, and examines the translation of historical texts in the late 19th-century under imperial patronage. The studies reassess earlier editions from the perspective of modern textual criticism, introduce newly identified manuscript evidence, and shed new light on the function, structure, and historical significance of Ethiopic historiography, while also considering its connections to liturgical literature and oral tradition.