The King's Dictionary. The Rasulid Hexaglot : Fourteenth Century Vocabularies in Arabic, Persian, Turkic, Greek, Armenian and Mongol (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik) (Hardcover)

by Peter B. Golden (Author), Louis Ligeti (Author), Edmund Schutz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Aden, of old one of the main Eerasian ports for goods from China, Southeast Asia and India on their way to the Mediterranean lands, was controlled during the 13th -15th centuries by the Rasulid dynasty. One of their kings, al-Malik al-Afdal al-Abbas b. Ali (1363-1377) wrote multilingual glossaries of extraordinary importance, universally termed the "Rasulid Hexaglot". Its emergence caused quite a stir. This is an authorative translation, commentary and explanation of the socio-historical context surrounding this important text. The Arabic, Persian, Turkic, Greek, Armenian and Mongol languages in the King's Dictionary were the most important tongues of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Greek, Armenian and Mongol sections, in particular, provide examples of transcriptions of living vernacular forms of the era.

Language Notes
Text: English, Arabic

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004117695
• ISBN-13: 978-9004117693
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,225,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #8 in	Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Mongolian
  #19 in	Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Armenian
  #83 in	Books > History > Asia > Mongolia

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic amusement if handled correctly, February 1, 2007

By	xenia "xenia" (NY) - See all my reviews

This wonderful (and frightening) list of words is not merely of interest to linguists, philologists or amateur language lovers. It also gives some insight into the world of men who wielded power in Western Asia, including Iran, parts of Central Asia and by implication the Indian Ocean as well. How do pre-national military formations function practically (aka how much Arabic or Persian do I need to know if I am a newly converted Anatolian Greek in 1350 and want to become a mercenary at a rich lord's court)?

However, I would not buy the book if you have to survive on a grad student budget. Try to get access to it at an academic library and enjoy it first. It is a great way to spend your time, provided you have enough historical imagination. I should note, however, that if your favorite way of making war includes bombing civilians, you should try a computer war game instead.

0 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars bookywooky, October 18, 2000

By	Lars Hektoen (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews

I havent read the book, but I thought I was going to when I clicked a link that brought me here..