Aristotle’s Poetics in Greek, Arabic and Latin: Towards a Variorum Edition

FAIN: RQ-306857-26

Tufts University (Medford, MA 02155-5519)
Gregory R. Crane (Project Director: December 2024 to present)

Preparation for publication of an online digital edition and translation of Aristotle’s Poetics (circa 335 BC), the earliest work of Greek dramatic theory. (36 months)

The project aims to create a digital edition of Aristotle’s Poetics in Greek, Arabic, and Latin, blending traditional philology with digital humanities to enhance access and bridge linguistic barriers. Richly annotated translations aligned with original texts will allow researchers without expertise in these languages to explore term usage, syntax, and cultural reception. It addresses critical gaps in Poetics scholarship, focusing on the 10th-century Arabic translation by Abu-Bishr Matta, the 13th-century Latin by William of Moerbeke, and the Translation Movements of Baghdad (9th-10th CE) and Toledo (12th-13th CE). The openly accessible, born-digital edition will feature translation alignments, linguistic annotations, and commentaries, hosted on the Perseus Digital Library, enabling global engagement with Aristotle’s influential work.