Lot 2046 , Ethiopian Psalter - A manuscript on vellum, 75 leaves, text in two columns, in black ink, a few letters in red ink, 12mo (165 x 125 mm), written in Ge'ez or classical Ethiopian. Ethiopia, late 18th/early 19th century.
° Ethiopian Psalter - A manuscript on vellum, 75 leaves, text in two columns, in black ink, a few letters in red ink, 12mo (165 x 125 mm), written in Ge'ez or classical Ethiopian. Ethiopia, late 18th/early 19th century. Note:
Ge’ez is an ancient Semitic language that originated in the Horn of Africa, primarily in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea. It was once a spoken language but is now considered a liturgical language, meaning it is used primarily in religious contexts. Today, it is most commonly associated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Ethiopian Catholic Church.
Ge’ez developed as a spoken language around the 5th century BCE, with its script evolving from the South Arabian script. It uses its own unique alphabet, which is written from left to right.
Although no longer spoken as a native language, Ge'ez is still used in religious texts, prayers, and services in Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches.
£150-200
Condition:
Retaining original wooden boards, rear board detached and holed. Some leaves with crude stitched repairs to the vellum. Outer leaf edges indicate the work may have been exposed to smoke or fire?
Sold for £180