Post-Biblical Jewish Sources in al-Maqrīzī’s Historiography - Whence His Knowledge?

The Biblical Dye Tekhelet and its Use in Jewish Textiles

Two purple textile dyes are referred to in ancient records: one had a blue hue and the other a red.1 The bluish purple was named tekhelet in biblical and Talmudic Hebrew and ‘hyacinthine purple’ by the Romans. The reddish variety was called argaman in the Hebrew and ‘Tyrian purple’ by the Romans. Archaeological findings in the Mediterranean area have indicated that the ancients utilised three s...

Hereditary Gigantism-the biblical giant Goliath and his brothers

The biblical giant Goliath has an identifiable family tree suggestive of autosomal dominant inheritance. We suggest that he had a hereditary pituitary disorder possibly due to the AIP gene, causing early onset and familial acromegaly or gigantism. We comment on the evidence within the scriptures for his other relatives including a relative with six digits and speculate on possible causes of the...

Empirical Horizons in Islamic Historiography: Abū Rayḥān Al-Birunī

From the main features of the tradition of Islamic historiography is variety of its forms, types, methods, topics and schools. However, today, Islamic historiography is known by its mere narrative methods and schools, which are only part of this widespread tradition. In other words, the narrative aspect of Islamic historiography have overshadowed its other aspects. Therefore, researchers in thi...

RAZI AND HIS BOOK ON AL-TIN AL NISHABURI

RAZI AND HIS BOOK ON AL- TIN AL NISHABURI