Etymologika

2020 – 2037

The research project ‘Etymologika. Ordnung und Interpretation des Wissens in griechisch-byzantinischen Lexika bis in die Renaissance. Digitale Erschließung von Manuskriptproduktion, Nutzerkreisen und kulturellem Umfeld‘ (‘Etymologika. Organisation and interpretation of knowledge in Greek-Byzantine lexica continuing into the Renaissance. Digital analysis of manuscript production, users and cultural environment’) is funded by the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg and carried out in cooperation with the University of Hamburg under the direction of Professor Dr Christian Brockmann and the coordination of Dr Stefano Valente.

The eighteen-year project (2020-2037) aims to produce the first comprehensive critical edition of the Etymologicum Gudianum, including an English translation and commentary both as a printed edition and an online version enriched with extensive additional resources to facilitate further studies and to disseminate results to a broader audience.

Etymologika, Greek etymological dictionaries, rank among the most significant European lexicographic achievements throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the ancient pursuit of the étymon, the true meaning and essence of a word. The knowledge archived in these lexica presents an important, albeit thus far insufficiently explored aspect of the literary and linguistic heritage of ancient Greek and Byzantine culture. The project will also investigate the rich history of the production and use of these manuscripts in order to explore the cultural setting of their production and distribution as well as their continued role as repositories of knowledge during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.