Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
This thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a scientific discipline. It examines the classically inspired discipline of renaissance Egyptology and the influence it had on Kirhcer's views on ancient Egypt. After an excursus on the Pamphilian obelisk, the thesis examines medieval Arabic writing on ancient Egypt. Finally, the use of the Arabic sources in Obeliscus Pamphilius is explored through a number of case-studies.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In contemporary Western academic publications, the name ‘Tangut’ refers almost exclusively to the dominant ethnic group of a so-called ‘conquest dynasty’, best known by its Chinese name, the Xixia...Show moreIn contemporary Western academic publications, the name ‘Tangut’ refers almost exclusively to the dominant ethnic group of a so-called ‘conquest dynasty’, best known by its Chinese name, the Xixia 西夏 (‘Western Xia’; 1038-1227). However, the name has had different connotations for our medieval and early modern forebears, which might prompt the question: What did medieval and early modern Europeans mean when they used the name ‘Tangut’? Given its present-day use, a corollary question ought to be: Did medieval and early modern Europeans have a similar understanding, or concept, of the Xixia Tanguts as we do today? It is this thesis’s main contention that the name ‘Tangut’ and the early understanding of this name in Europe stems from the same source as our current conception, that is, a Mongolian ethnonym cum toponym. Yet, in Europe it was long understood as mostly a toponym and it was not clearly connected to the concept of the Xixia Tanguts. Indeed, it will be argued that the Tanguts of the Xia are, albeit surprisingly, largely absent in early European descriptions of Chinese and Mongol history, compared to other ethno-historical references in European sources.Show less
