Sleepy Animals: Barhebraeus (1226-1286 CE) on Sleeping and Dreaming among Animals

This paper investigates which animals sleep and wake in general which, addition, are also able to dream, according Barhebraeus (Bar ʿEbroyo, Arabic: Ibn al-ʿIbrī, 1226-1286 CE), the famous Syrian Orthodox polymath theologian. Attention is given authors who his primary sources, namely, Avicenna Aristotle. Parallel examples include Albert Great as another author dependent on some of same sources Pliny Elder a Latin without Arabic influences. Roughly, can be understood allowing for or stating observation far more dreaming than Aristotle himself did explicitly, while allows even fewer. The question why this matter relied primarily these two though not other post-Avicennan he many philosophical theological works, will briefly discussed. select reliance could connected historical change topics dealt with scientific curriculum, lack coverage zoological by Barhebraeus’s favorite source being one reasons that led him rely older texts However, cannot generalized rule, there at least contrary cases works physiognomics where has had recourse an text rather treatise otherwise preferred authors.