Bøger i Edinburgh Studies in Classical serien

Surveys a turbulent chapter of Syrian history from multiple perspectives, recalibrating the underlying power dynamics of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries.

Explores the only known private book collection from medieval Jerusalem

Examines ʿAttar's didactic poetry in historical context from a rhetorical, reader-centered perspective

Offers an in-depth study of the Umayyad Caliphate of al-Andalus in its prime

Mirrors for princes form a substantial and important genre in many pre-modern literatures. Their ostensible purpose is to advise the king; at the same time they assert that the king, if he is truly virtuous, will appreciate being reminded of the contingency of his power. The unknown author of the Counsel for Kings studied in this book wrote in a distinctive early tenth-century Iranian environment. He deploys an abundant set of cultural materials representing 'perennial wisdom' of mixed provenances, which he reinvigorates by applying them to the circumstances of his own time and place.a The first volume situates Counsel for Kings in its historical context. The second volume gives direct access to a substantial portion of the text through translation and commentary.