Chapter 5 - Arabic Manuscripts on Magic at L’Orientale

The inaugural volume of the series focuses on the collection of Arabic manuscripts on medicine, pharmacopoeia, science, and magic preserved at the University of Naples “L’Orientale.” It aims to reconstruct the origin and provenance of the materials, collected primarily—but not exclusively—by the Arabist and colonial physician Tommaso Sarnelli (1890–1972), chiefly in Yemen. The catalogue traces the complex developments associated with his scientific and professional career. In addition, the volume offers an integrated analysis of the preserved materials: on the one hand, reconstructing the circulation of these texts within the broader context of the post-classical Islamic world; and on the other, providing a reading of the texts in conjunction with their paratexts—that is, examining the history of the works alongside their readers, collectors, and transmitters of knowledge, situated at the intersection of medical practice and magical-religious traditions. The study also emphasizes the history of medical and magical manuscripts as objects within the communities of doctors, pharmacists, and practitioners who used and transmitted this knowledge. The volume includes contributions by Francesca Bellino, Luca Berardi, Giovanni Maria Martini, and Antonella Murtagia, as well as the complete catalogue of 23 Arabic manuscripts in the collection.