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THE LATEST ACQUISITIONS OF ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BAVARIAN STATE LIBRARY (MUNICH, GERMANY) [Abstract ID: 0808-04]
After the publication of the description of the Ethiopian section of the Oriental manuscript collection in VOHD (= Verzeichnis der orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland) Vol. XX 3, 6 and 5, the Library acquired the total number of twenty-one more Ethiopian manuscripts from various sources. The reason why I use the term Ethiopian is, because there is one manuscript about Ethiopian and Islamic historiography that has the main text written in Amharic and few lines in Arabic. The main part of the manuscripts is written in GeŸez. Though there is a relatively great number – compared to the total number of manuscripts – of Mazmura Dawit (= 4), parchment scrolls (= 7) and two Leporello folded manuscripts (which are of the same literary genre as the scrolls) and at first sight does not seem to be exceptional. Nevertheless, most of the manuscripts have special features and represent the written heritage of manuscript culture. Moreover, there is a group obviously produced for non-Ethiopians but recalls the style of the tradition. Not unusual are insertions of illuminations that are not part of the actual content. I would like to show the essential points that distinguish this collection from an ordinary monastic inventory.